Mercedes-Benz leads Audi as No. 2 global premium brand

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

There is little argument in the world of car enthusiasts that the best premium vehicles are straight out of Germany. Sales figures also support this theory, as BMW has consistently laid recent claim to being the world”s best selling premium brand, with Audi and Mercedes in fierce competition for second, though neither is ever too far behind BMW.

Audi made news earlier this year when it overtook Mercedes as the world”s second best-selling premium brand. Now, with half the year gone by, Mercedes stands ahead of the Volkswagen AG premium brand by just 1,750 units worldwide.

Although Audi”s sales were better than Mercedes for each of the first five months of this year, a driving demand for the E class and S class helped give the Stuttgart-based automaker the boost it needed. Mercedes monthly sales jumped 13.2% to 113,300; the most units ever moved by the company for June.

Audi is not going down without a fight, however. The Ingolstadt-based manufacturer said that it is on track to beat its best global sales figure ever; 1,003,469 units in 2008. The Chinese market is expected to be a huge source of sales for Audi, as the emerging Chinese market overtook Germany as the companies most lucrative.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)