In an otherwise gloomy business environment for MB, the GLK is a winner. I could have told them that....wait......I did!

MBUSA Records Highest Sales Month of the Year
Wed, Nov 4, 2009Company

Daimler AG 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. “This is validation of the ‘back to basics’ approach we have undertaken in partnership with our retail network, utilizing the current economic environment to strengthen the customer experience and promote the value inherent in our product line.” Lieb said the sales gains for the month were also influenced by 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.
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

(EMPHASIS ADDED BY THE LITTLE OLD EMPHASIS MAKER, ME )
THE GLK-CLASS, INTRODUCED IN JAUARY 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%