“The average price of a Mercedes-Benz sold now is about EUR39,000 excluding VAT. It is higher than in 2011, but still below 2007 or 2008, when it was EUR40,000 or EUR41,000,” said Valeriu Zaharia who appeared on ZF Live on Thursday.
Customers go online, configure their car and look for information on every detail; even so talking to a customer in a showroom takes at least one hour or maybe two, Zaharia said.
According to the data of the Association of Automotive Manufacturers and Importers (APIA), Mercedes-Benz sales rose by 2% to almost 1,600 cars in 2012, third after BMW, which came close to 2,200 cars, up 7% and Audi, which sold 1,900 cars, up 19% on the premium segment.
Whereas BMW had the highest sales volume, Audi had the highest growth and Mercedes-Benz had the best-seller of the premium market, the ML SUV, which sold 434 units, up 40% on 2011, beating BMW X5 with its almost 390 cars.
“Sales are now increasing but they are seasonal in nature and current volumes are not that high, though still in line with our expectations. We expect growth of 15% for Mercedes-Benz sales and the same growth pace for the premium market in Romania,” Valeriu Zaharia said.
Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz sold about 5,500 cars together last year and they may sell 6,000 to 7,000 in 2013.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)