Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) expects its car sales in Thailand to enjoy a double-digit growth this year as the luxury car segment is likely to grow in 2022.
The prediction was made despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the prolonged semiconductor shortage which is still posing a major challenge for automakers.
The company expects the bright prospects as demand for luxury cars has tended to grow and it has also implemented marketing campaigns to launch a range of new car models, including the new GLS and S-Class, said Roland Folger, president and chief executive of Mercedes-Benz (Thailand).
"We are positive about the luxury car market in Thailand," he said.
Mercedes-Benz is preparing to launch other new models, including the Mercedes-EQ, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes-AMG. The new EQS will be the first all-electric model to be produced and marketed this year.
In 2021, luxury car sales in Thailand dropped by 9% year-on-year because of the pandemic and the semiconductor shortage, but Mercedes-Benz saw its car sales increase by 13% year-on-year.
In the first half of 2021, sales of its compact vehicles increased by 58%, following the launch of the new A-Class and new GLA models, while for the Luxury and sports utility vehicle (SUV) ranges, sales surged by 27% and 29%, respectively.
Combining with sales in the second half of the year, the compact models saw 113% growth year-on-year, a success that reflected how popular the models were among Thai consumers.
Mercedes-Benz is also focused on the future of electric vehicles (EVs). Its plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) models saw significant growth of 14% year-on-year.
"This reflected how Mercedes-Benz chose the right strategy of having the widest product offering in the luxury PHEV market and, at the same time, how we responded well to the needs of our customers, particularly in a year when they were trying to adjust themselves to the second year of the pandemic," said Bjoern Gustrau, Mercedes-Benz (Thailand)'s vice-president for sales and marketing.
Globally, Mercedes-Benz saw its car sales stand at over 2 million units in 2021 despite the pandemic situation and a lack of semiconductors which delayed the supply of vehicles, said Mr Folger.
Deliveries of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class rose by 40% to 87,064 units, with sales in China accounting for 35.5% of global demand while sales of the G-Class surged to a new record of 41,174 vehicles and deliveries of Mercedes-AMG models reached 145,979, a rise of 16.7%.