Daimler AG Reports a Total of 18,854 Cars Sold for the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. for October 2009

NEW YORK, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Daimler AG (stock exchange abbreviation DAI) today reported sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division in the U.S. (Mercedes-Benz and smart combined) of 18,854 units, an increase of 9.4 percent compared to October 2008. All sales figures in this release are on an unadjusted basis unless otherwise noted.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported October sales of 18,193 vehicles, its highest month of the year and a 21.3% improvement over October 2008.

"Clearly we're very pleased with this month's result and we believe that we will be able to parlay this into a strong fourth quarter and continued increases in our market share," said Ernst Lieb, President & CEO of MBUSA. Lieb attributed the strong month to a more stabile economic environment relative to last year and to the momentum of the company's new products -- the compact SUV GLK-Class and the new 9th generation E-Class -- as well as volume leaders like its C- and M-Class model lines.

The GLK-Class, introduced in January 2009, has outsold every vehicle in its class on a year-to-date basis. The all-new, 9th generation E-Class, launched in late June, recorded sales of 6,071 for October 2009, up 189.4% over October 2008. The other volume leaders for the month were the C-Class and M-Class with sales of 4,122, and 2,370 respectively.

On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 153,606 new vehicles, trailing the comparable period last year by 20.1%.

smart USA recorded 661 sales in October 2009. Year-to-date sales now total 13,082 units. Since its introduction in the United States, there are nearly 40,000 smart fortwos traveling the roads throughout America. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are 79 smart centers located in 36 states.

Detailed vehicle sales information for MBUSA will be announced later today in a separate press release issued by Mercedes-Benz USA.

    Mercedes-Benz Cars Division in the U.S. Sales Summary Through October 2009
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Month Sales        %         Sales CYTD       %
                        Curr Yr   Pr Yr    Change    Curr Yr   Pr Yr  Change
                        -------   -----    ------    -------   -----  ------
    Mercedes-Benz USA    18,193   14,996    21.3%   153,606  192,294  -20.1%
    -----------------    ------   ------    ----    -------  -------  -----
    smart USA               661    2,236   -70.4%    13,082   20,392  -35.8%
    ---------               ---    -----   -----     ------   ------  -----
    Mercedes-Benz USA /
     smart USA combined  18,854   17,232     9.4%   166,688  212,686  -21.6%
    -------------------  ------   ------     ---    -------  -------  -----

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About Daimler
Daimler AG, Stuttgart, with its businesses Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Daimler Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Daimler Buses, is a globally leading producer of premium passenger cars and the global market leader of heavy- and medium-duty trucks as well as buses. The Daimler Financial Services division has a broad offering of financial services, including vehicle financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management. Daimler sells its products in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, continued to make automotive history following their invention of the automobile in 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler and its employees willingly accept an obligation to act responsibly towards society and the environment and to shape the future of safe and sustainable mobility with groundbreaking technologies and high-quality products. The current brand portfolio includes the world's most valuable automobile brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as smart, AMG, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, Mitsubishi Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart (stock exchange abbreviation DAI). In 2008, the Group sold 2.1 million vehicles and employed a workforce of over 270,000 people; revenue totaled EUR 95.9 billion and EBIT amounted to EUR 2.7 billion. Daimler is an automotive Group with a commitment to excellence, and aims to achieve sustainable growth and industry-leading profitability.