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Mercedes-Benz is Number One Brand in U.S. Luxury Market

5 January 2000

Mercedes-Benz is Number One Brand in U.S. Luxury Market

    MONTVALE, N.J., Jan. 4 -- Record-breaking sales of
189,437 new vehicles in 1999 boosted Mercedes-Benz into the position of the
number one luxury automotive brand in the United States.  The 1999 sales
represent a doubling of the company's U.S. sales volume over a three-year
period and marks the sixth year of consecutive sales gains.  December sales of
19,118 were an all-time monthly high for MBUSA.
    Virtually all Mercedes-Benz model lines posted increases for the year with
the E-Class, S-Class, M-Class and CLK lines achieving the highest annual
volumes in their series' history.
    According to Paul Halata, president and CEO for MBUSA, "It's an
extraordinary accomplishment when you consider the caliber of our competition.
Equally important is the fact that we stand alone as the only automaker over
the past six years to forego any type of rebates or incentives.  Instead, we
have chosen to invest back into the product and provide real value to our
clients.  Our sales success is a ringing endorsement of this strategy and how
it has been carried to the marketplace by the MBUSA team and our retailers."