Mercedes-Benz C-Class reaches sales milestone: Eight million

(May 28, 2015) STUTTGART, Germany — Since the launch of the C-Class in 1982, Mercedes-Benz has delivered over eight million Saloons and Estates (sedans and wagons) of this model series to customers. The brand has sold more than 250,000 of the current, fifth model series alone since it was introduced in 2014.

The C-Class remains the top-selling model in the Mercedes-Benz product portfolio.

“With the all-new C-Class, launched last year, we continue a success story that spans more than 30 years, with no end in sight,” said Ola Källenius, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales. “Worldwide sales of more than eight million C-Class Saloons and Estates speak to the tremendous appeal of this model line.”

The success story of the C-Class began in 1982, when the Mercedes‑Benz 190 celebrated its launch as a mid-range vehicle. Because it was the smallest car in the Mercedes-Benz range at the time, it soon earned the nickname "Baby Benz."

The first car under the C‑Class designation was introduced in May 1993. It marked new ground at that time for Mercedes-Benz, not only in terms of engineering but also because of the wider range of body shapes. The wagon introduced by the company in 1996 was the first sporty, mid-range wagon. When Mercedes-Benz launched the next C-Class model series in 2000, it included the Sports Coupé, a completely new body variant.

The entry of the fourth C-Class generation onto the market in 2007 also saw the launch of a new design feature. For the first time, the front-end design of a Mercedes-Benz sedan varied according to the equipment line. While the ELEGANCE equipment line features the three‑pointed star in its traditional position on the bonnet, it is built into the center of the radiator grill for the more sporty AVANTGARDE equipment line.

The record performance of the C-Class continues unabated. In the first three months of 2015, 109,050 units of these model series were sold — 57.8% more than in the same period of the previous year. Also in April, the C-Class was able to maintain the high level of sales of the previous months. Sales figures climbed by 53.8% to 32,809, once again the global leaders in their respective segments in April.

In April 2015, four out of five customers worldwide opted for the C-Class sedan. The sedan is especially popular in the U.S. and in China. In the first quarter of 2015 nearly every second sedan sold went to customers from one of these two key markets. The wagon sells particularly well in Europe.

The new C-Class is the first Mercedes-Benz vehicle to be produced concurrently on four continents. Within just six months in 2014, production started first in Bremen and then in East London (South Africa), Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Beijing, where, for the first time, the C‑Class is also locally produced in the form of a long-wheelbase version for the Chinese market.