Mercedes-Benz delivered 150,814 vehicles to customers in January, an increase of 19.9 per cent compared with the same month of last year.

This means that the German carmaker’s sales have grown for the 35th consecutive month.

Ola Källenius, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing & Sales, said: “We continued the positive development of record year 2015 in January, and started the new year successfully. At the beginning of the year, our unit sales were particularly high in China, where we handed over more than 40,000 vehicles to customers.”

The European market continued to develop positively for Mercedes-Benz, with a 15.2 per cent increase in unit sales to 54,937 vehicles. Particularly strong growth of more than 20 per cent and record unit sales were achieved in Great Britain, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland. 15,779 vehicles were delivered to customers in Germany in January (+1.8 per cent). In Great Britain, Switzerland and Portugal Mercedes-Benz gained the market leadership amongst the premium manufacturers.

Sales in the Asia-Pacific region totalled 63,440 units in the first month of the year, representing growth of 37.1 per cent. In China, the biggest market for Mercedes-Benz, sales in January were 52.0 per cent higher than in the prior-year month. 42,671 customers were delighted to receive their new car with the three-pointed star in China – more than ever before. In South Korea, Australia and Taiwan, Mercedes-Benz was the premium brand with the most new registrations. Mercedes-Benz continues to be the market leader amongst the premium importers also in Japan.

In the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) region, unit sales increased by 2.3 per cent to 28,185 vehicles in January. Sales in the US amounted to 24,664 units. This means that the year started more successfully than ever before for Mercedes-Benz in the US, Canada and Mexico.