Mercedes-Benz has announced its sales statistics for 2022, revealing that the company has more than doubled its sales of electric vehicles compared to 2021.
Mercedes has distinguished itself as a leader in electrification in Europe. Compared to its traditional rivals, BMW, Audi and Porsche, it has a much more aggressive electrification plan and has introduced many more electric vehicle models than its competitors. In turn, the market took notice and Mercedes announced that its electric vehicle sales increased by 124% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Led by Mercedes EQA, which sold 33,100 units, the German luxury carmaker sold a total of 117,800 electric vehicles in 2022. That was far from the majority of sales, with the brand selling a total of 2.04 million vehicles during the year. Nonetheless, electric vehicles continue to make up a growing percentage of the automaker’s sales.
Other popular models include the Mercedes EQB and EQS, which sold 24,200 and 19,200 units respectively. The newest model in the family, the Mercedes EQE, sold a respectable 12,600 units worldwide.
“2022 marks another successful year in the transformation of Mercedes-Benz,” says Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Management Board of Mercedes. “We more than doubled our BEV sales, we demonstrated our great ambition in electric with the EQXX 1,200 km test drive, and we achieved another record year for Mercedes-Maybach with sales up 37% . In 2023, we will continue our mission to offer the most desirable electric cars and further develop our BEV and premium sales.
Along with the brand’s growing number of electric offerings, the automaker’s impressive production ramp has been a major contributor to its success. Mercedes announced its incredibly detailed production change late last year, and it had a positive effect as it allowed the brand to overcome its chip shortage and exit the Russian market. The EQS was the biggest beneficiary of this shift in production, as the fourth quarter of 2022 was its best-selling quarter ever.
Asia was Mercedes’ biggest market, continuing its sales trend, selling 987,800 units. China, in particular, received the lion’s share of sales; 751,700. In comparison, Europe sold 635,100 units, North America 327,000, while the rest of the world sold just 94,000 units, a dramatic 24% drop from the year former.
The way forward for the German automotive group is clear; pursue aggressive electrification. This will include the introduction of new electric models and the electrification of new segments of its business. One such upcoming vehicle is the Maybach EQS SUV, the brand’s first all-electric ultra-luxury vehicle. This follows the announcement of the all-new eSprinter, which begins the electrification of Mercedes’ commercial offerings.
In addition to these new product launches, Mercedes has a series of new physical upgrades that it is introducing. Most notably, the company will create its own electric vehicle charging infrastructure, consisting of 10,000 chargers worldwide. Also, after building the world’s first all-electric “EQ dealership” in Japan last year, many expect the company to shift its dealerships to more electric offerings.
With its aggressive electrification and continued leadership in self-driving software, Mercedes is set to dominate its docile traditional competition in the coming year. However, with Tesla still firmly controlling EV sales in many major markets, Mercedes is not without significant competition.
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