Mercedes-Benz USA announced last week a monthly sales increase of 15% for August with a sales total of 19,674 vehicles, which is a 22.2% increase year-to-date.  Leading the pack with impressive gains is the sporty C-Class with a sales increase of 43.4%, followed by the 9^th generation E-class with an increase of 25.6%.  The versatile M-Class SUV rounded out the top three volume performers with sales of 2,473 for the month.  Also improving on sales gains is the R-Class crossover (up 389.7%) and the commanding G-Class SUV (up 62.2%). The company also sold 56 of its newly launched supercar, the SLS AMG, bringing its year-to-date sales to 321.

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Today, eMercedesBenz has reported that Mercedes-Benz USA had June sales of 18,997 vehicles, an increase of 25.4%.  On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 106,967 new vehicles, an increase of 25.7% over last year.

“Impressive gains were made in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories. The strongest performer for the month was the popular C-Class – the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger as well as first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers – with sales of 5,563. The 9th generation E-Class also continued to exhibit strong momentum with sales of 4,865 (up 74.9%) and the versatile M-Class SUV ranked third with sales of 2,124.

The company’s flagship sedan, the S-Class, boosted sales to 1,549 – a 106.5% increase. Also showing strong gains were the sporty SLK (up 153.8 %) and the commanding G-Class (up 124.3%). The company also sold 50 of its newly launched supercar, the SLS AMG, bringing its year-to-date sales to 218.”

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This week Mercedes-Benz USA reported a 26.7% increase in their May 2010 sales, continuing the second quarter with a 25.8% increase on a year-to-date basis. Included in this total are 18,548 passenger cars, light truck vehicles and 628 Sprinter vans.

Impressive gains were made in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories. The strongest performer of the month was the 9th generation E-Class – which expanded to include the wagon and cabriolet models – with sales of 5,476 (up 140.7%).

The company’s flagship sedan, the S-Class, marked increased gains with sales of 1,085 (up 21.2%) and the newly introduced supercar and brand halo – the SLS AMG – reported strong initial sales of 168. The top performer on the luxury light truck side was the versatile M-Class SUV with sales of 2,264.

So far year-to-date sales for MBUSA include 87,970 new vehicles, an increase of 25.8% over last year.

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The following post comes courtesy of Automobile Magazine.

Snow. Ice. Frigid temperatures. January in Detroit can hardly be described as a climate conducive to convertibles. Still, in order to help underline the year-round usability of the car, Mercedes-Benz will unveil its new 2011 E-class Cabriolet at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

As the fourth body style in the revised E-class range, the Cabriolet — along with the 2010 E-class Coupe — effectively replaces the CLK. Styling up front is carried over from its other E-class siblings, but sheetmetal aft of the A-pillars is largely cribbed from the two-door model. Indeed, when the top is up, the E-class Cabriolet does a good job of emulating the Coupe’s racy roofline.

Unlike the convertible tops used on the SL and SLK roadsters, the E-class Cabriolet – like the CLK before it — makes use of a traditional soft top instead. Mercedes-Benz claims the top, at 0.9 inches thick, is extensively insulated to help keep the cabin warm in wintry months, and to prevent noise. We’re told it’s entirely possible to have a hands-free cell phone conversation with the top up at speeds “in excess” of 125 mph — but we wouldn’t recommend such a task.

A pair of technologies also helps keep passengers warm and comfortable during open-air driving. Airscarf, already offered on the SL and SLK roadsters, directs warm air towards passengers’ neck and shoulders. AirCap – a diffuser deployed above the windshield to direct airflow out of the faces of rear seat passengers – is a new innovation and, for the time being, is exclusive to the E-class.

Like the Coupe, the E-class Cabriolet is available in E350 and E550 forms, with a 268-hp 3.5-liter V-6 or a 382-hp, 5.5-liter V-8, respectively. Look for both models to arrive at dealers stateside in the spring of 2011.

Ray Catena Mercedes-Benz would like to extend congratulations and best of luck to Jude Okoro for being the first to take delivery of a 2010 E-Class from one of the best Mercedes Benz dealers, Ray Catena of Union. Jude traded in his 2005 BMW 5 Series and was very excited to finally drive off in his 2010 E350 Coupe. The car is an Obsidian Black with Almond interior loaded with the P2 Package, which includes the P1 Package plus, Bi-Xenon’s, Keyless-Go and Heated/Active Ventilated Seats.  Nick Abbruzzese, Jude’s Salesman stated that “It is always a pleasure to sell someone a Mercedes-Benz, but when you convert an enthusiast from a BMW to a Mercedes-Benz, it makes the experience that much better.

With the holidays fast approaching, my wife, daughter, and I departed sunny Los Angeles for the frozen tundra and tenebrous skies of southeastern Michigan. On purpose. Awaiting us in Ann Arbor were my parents, their tiger cat Toby, a Norman Rockwell-perfect noble fir Christmas tree seasoned with white lights and the same ornaments I remember from my youth two-score years ago, and about a foot of fresh white snow blanketing a skin of black ice. Perfect.

Usually whenever I return to Michigan in the winter I play a little game with the weather gods. If I want a blizzard to strike the state, I prearrange a test-drive in, say, a Corvette Z06 on cheater slicks. And if I want the forecast to be sunny, dry, and unseasonably warm, I order-up, oh, a Land Rover LR3 complete with winch, snatch blocks, and a St. Bernard wearing a thermos of schnapps on his collar. Inevitably, I’m driving precisely the wrong machine for the conditions.

Not this time, though. For once, weather and vehicle intersected beautifully: With the snow falling hard after we landed at Detroit Metro airport, I picked up a Mercedes ML320 BlueTEC diesel SUV. Immediately we profited from the standard 4Matic all-wheel drive with electronic traction and stability controls (4-ETS & ESP) — the big Benz powered along straight and true, while nearby several other vehicles skidded right off the highway and buried themselves until spring in mountainous snowbanks (apparently, even some Michigan regulars haven’t yet solved Newton’s groundbreaking formula: v80 mph + H2O cubed – GY bald = O @%&!). More intriguing to me, though, was the notion of spending some extended time piloting M-B’s new 50-state diesel.

Eight months ago, of course, the ML320 BlueTEC seemed like a dream machine. With gas prices at $4+ dollars per gallon and climbing, who wouldn’t have been attracted by a rig delivering 18/24 EPA city/highway mpg — versus the gas-fed ML350’s 15/20 mpg? Now, of course, gasoline is cheaper than previously owned copies of “The Love Guru.” And, in Michigan anyway, diesel is currently selling for $3.99 per. It cost me — gulp — $89.20 to fill the ML320’s nearly empty tank.

Has the ML320 BlueTEC arrived at the party in the wrong clothes?

Not necessarily. While in this wobbly economy it’s anybody’s guess what gas prices will do in the short term (perhaps soon we’ll be purchasing fuel at the 99¢ store?), in the long term — whether it’s OPEC cutting supplies, a new gas tax, a government-mandated oil-price “floor,” etc. — prices are sure to trend upward again. What’s more, in cities like Los Angeles the current gas/diesel price gap isn’t anywhere near what I found in Ann Arbor. A quick check of L.A. stations shows the cheapest premium now selling for $1.85 a gallon, with the lowest-priced diesel selling for $2.04. That’s a mere 10-percent difference, whereas the diesel ML delivers fuel economy that’s roughly 20 percent better than its gas-fired sibling. Indeed, even given the BlueTEC’s higher initial cost ($49,475 base versus $47,975 for the ML350), for some drivers the diesel can make financial sense right now. Say you put on 30,000 highway miles a year. Using EPA highway figures for comparison, and assuming that L.A.’s gas/diesel prices remain fixed (though the gap is almost sure to close), with the ML320 BlueTEC’s higher efficiency you’d start coming out ahead after just three years.

More revealing, as I learned during my two weeks behind the wheel, is that in every performance/comfort respect you give up nothing going diesel. The twin-turbo, 24-valve, 3.0-liter V-6 emits a tad of diesel clatter if you’re standing outside the vehicle, but from inside the cabin you’d never know you’re driving a pressure cooker. The engine is that smooth and quiet. Torquey, too. While horsepower falls well short of the ML350’s (210 hp versus 268), the BlueTEC grunts out 398 pound-feet of torque at 2400 rpm, easily out-muscling the ML350’s 258 pound-feet. While tow ratings on both vehicles are identical (7200 pounds), the BlueTEC pulls away from stoplights with more authority and sprints to 60 mph neck-in-neck with its gas sibling (roughly eight seconds each).

The BlueTEC also offers charms more intangible. Each night, I left the test vehicle unshielded on my parents’ driveway. In the morning, often I’d awaken to see an igloo in its place. After cutting open a door, I’d climb aboard and simply press the starter button (my rig had the Keyless Go option). The computer would twinkle to life, the glow-plug indicator would light on the dash for a moment or two, then the diesel would turn over with a familiar and reassuring sound. “Rattle” isn’t the right word, implying loud and coarse. But there was no escaping the hint of Big Rig in the BlueTEC’s idle. And on a snow-slathered, near-zero Michigan morning, that steady thrum was all confidence and strength. Nothing says “stout” like a well-bred diesel. The ML320 exuded an “I can take on anything” persona.

And it did. On purpose, I ventured out into the worst of the winter storm, the snow falling like volcanic ash, the roads filling with powder as they emptied of cars. The ML320 plowed through with ease, the traction-control warning flashing in spots and the ABS firing regularly, but the machine always maintaining its poise. Of particular note was the rear-glass heater, which could likely cook pancakes in Antarctica. In what seemed like seconds, any ice build-up just melted right off. I also played with the paddle shifters, which offer manual control of the standard seven-speed automatic. Very useful for holding a gear during slippery declines, and easy to operate even wearing gloves.

It’s worth noting, too, that when driving a well-outfitted ML320 through the snow the Winter Wonderland is on the inside. My tester included such options as heated seats, navigation, three-zone climate control, 610 watts of harmon/kardon surround-sound audio, Sirius satellite radio, a rear-view camera, and a rear-seat entertainment system with twin LCD screens — pushing the sticker to $61,360. Which is to say, when the ice melts and the golf course turns green, the ML320 will look right at home at the club, too.

Until then, wishing you all the best for a Happy New Year.
Exterior photos by the author

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Original article by Arthur St. Antoine MotorTrend Blog