Mercedes-Benz's EV lineup helps it navigate tricky market, electric CLA shines

Mercedes-Benz is learning that selling cars in 2025 isn't as simple as just building them. The automaker delivered a mixed bag of financial results for the second quarter and headline numbers show it sold 547,100 cars and vans in the second quarter, a 9% decrease compared to the same period last year. The company attributes the lower sales to a deliberate strategy of managing how many cars it sends to dealerships, especially in the United States and China, in a direct response to new international trade tariffs.

Actual customer deliveries in key Western markets paint a more optimistic picture. In the United States, retail sales jumped by 26%, while in its home market of Germany, they rose by 7%. This suggests that while the company might be holding back on deliveries to dealers, customers are still driving new Mercedes-Benz vehicles off the lots.

The demand is particularly strong for the brand's most expensive and profitable vehicles. Sales of these high-margin models, which include the ultra-luxury Maybach, the powerful AMG performance cars, and the iconic G-Class, accounted for 14.3% of all sales. In the US alone, customer demand for these top-tier vehicles grew by 15%.

The real excitement within the company centers on its expanding family of electric cars. As the industry pivots away from gasoline, Mercedes is betting on its EQ line of battery-powered vehicles. In Europe, an impressive 40% of all Mercedes-Benz cars sold in the second quarter were either fully electric or plug-in hybrid, with global sales of PHEVs alone going up by 34%.

Much of the MB's future is riding on the tires of the all-new CLA. This sleek, four-door coupe, which recently debuted in Europe, is the first in a new generation of more affordable and efficient electric cars from the brand. According to Mathias Geisen, a member of the company's Board of Management, the CLA has received "very positive feedback," and incoming orders are already gaining momentum.

The company sees this model as the starting point for a major product offensive that will see more electric vehicle launches, including an all-electric version of its popular GLC SUV, which is set to be revealed in September.

Mercedes-Benz Vans also saw a big uptick in demand for its electric offerings. The division sold 93,400 vans in the quarter, with sales of its eVans climbing 32% compared to last year. The electric vans now make up 7% of the division's global sales and a solid 10% in Europe. The company secured its largest-ever single order for eVans: a deal to deliver 5,000 electric vans to Amazon's transportation network.

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