Mercedes-Benz named Canada’s top luxury manufacturer

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 4MATIC SUV (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.)

TORONTO — Mercedes-Benz Canada and its national dealer network announced that the company has remained the country’s top luxury manufacturer for the seventh consecutive year. In 2020, Mercedes-Benz Canada delivered sales of 35,396 passenger vehicles and vans, with 30,229 representing passenger cars and luxury light trucks.

“As we reflect on 2020, I want to share my deep appreciation for the women and men who proudly represented the three-pointed star across the country,” said Felix Britsch, acting President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Canada, in a prepared statement. “Their resilience, flexibility and deep commitment to the brand made it possible to safely demonstrate Mercedes-Benz’ world-leading lineup of all-new and refreshed SUVs, passenger cars and vans to our customers. We are excited to continue delivering incredible customer experiences in 2021 in safe ways and can’t wait to introduce Canadians to Mercedes-Benz’ exceptional new automotive technology and sustainable luxury, from the breathtaking all-new flagship S-Class sedan and award-winning E-Class sedan to our groundbreaking all-electric EQ lineup.”

In 2020, SUVs continued to make up an increasing share of overall sales, with a total of 19,846 units retailed, compared to 10,383 passenger cars. This means that in 2020, SUVs accounted for 65.6% of Mercedes-Benz Canada sales, compared to 34.4% for passenger cars. Standout sales performances were seen throughout the company’s remarkable SUV lineup: the refined GLE SUV (+11.3% compared to 2019); the sleek and spacious GLS SUV (+15.9% compared to 2019); and the solid, sporty GLB SUV, which was the fifth-highest selling vehicle in the entire Mercedes-Benz lineup in its first full year. On the passenger car side, high volumes came not only from the C-Class Sedan, which remained the top-selling passenger car model, but also from the A-Class Sedan (+58.3% compared to 2019) and the stylish CLA Coupe (+2.0% compared to 2019).

Overall, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 15,300 pre-owned units. In 2020, Mercedes-Benz Canada also continued to achieve success with the Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program, hitting six record months, including the best CPO sales month in Mercedes-Benz Canada’s history (June 2020, when the company retailed 1,500 CPO units). In 2020, Mercedes-Benz Canada achieved an overall CPO penetration rate of 86.4%, a 4.1 percentage point increase over the previous record in 2019 and the new highest year-end CPO penetration rate ever.

In 2020, Mercedes-Benz Vans also achieved strong results, especially in the second half of the year, which was driven by heightened market demand across the country and strong direct fleet sales. In total, the Vans team delivered 5,167 vehicles. While a slight decrease compared to 2019 (-6.1%), this was a positive achievement and a testament to the division’s hard work to generate momentum and rebound following a challenging spring season.

In Q4 2020, the company retailed 5,759 SUVs and passenger cars (-12.1% compared to Q4 2019). Standouts in this quarter included both the GLE SUV (+16.1% compared to Q4 2019) as well as the GLE Coupe (+20.5%) and the GLB SUV, which continued its strong first-year performance. The top-selling passenger car in Q4 2020 was the C-Class Sedan, followed by the E-Class Sedan and the A-Class Sedan.

In Q4 2020, Mercedes-Benz Canada’s Pre-Owned division maintained its strong 2020 results by delivering 3,789 pre-owned units, of which 3,284 were CPO. This means that in Q4 2020, Mercedes-Benz Canada achieved a CPO penetration rate of 86.7% (a 4.1 percentage point increase compared to Q4 2019).

Mercedes-Benz Vans retailed 1,727 units in Q4 2020, a substantial increased compared to Q4 2019 (+28.1%).