Mercedes-Benz Mid-East Q3 sales up 28.9 per cent

Johannes Fritz - On track for another sales record.

Mercedes Car Group Middle East is heading for another annual sales record thanks to 2006 Q3 results that saw sales of cars delivered to customers across the Middle East and Levant leap nearly 29 per cent year on year.

United Arab Emirates - - Despite political and social upheavals in the region, retail sales for Mercedes Car Group rose by 28.9% to 3,174 in the period of July to September 2006, with the S-Class, the region's favourite premium sedan, the ML-Class SUV and the new generation E-Class boosting growth.

Saudi Arabia continues to be the fastest growing market with Q3 sales up by 160% compared to same period in 2005. Qatar up 83%, Kuwait rising 81% and Oman with an increase of 38% continued to perform well while the UAE leads in total sales for the period up from 1,223 in 2005 to 1,326.

'Despite the conflict in Lebanon our sales continued to grow significantly across the region helped by the introduction of the luxurious seven-seater GL-Class SUV and the groundbreaking CL-Class sports coupe,' said Johannes Fritz, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes Car Group, Middle East and Levant.

'We are well on target for another record retail sales year thanks to the introduction of standard GCC specifications, pricing available on the internet at www.mideast.mercedes-benz.com, and the great efforts of our dedicated distributors across the region.'