Mercedes-Benz Again Leads Premium Luxury Car Segment In Malaysia
The sales numbers for 2019 are in and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) is once again in the lead position in the premium luxury segment, selling a total of 10,020 vehicles. This represents about 1.8% of the total market share in the country.
MBM President and CEO, Dr Claus Weidner said, “We wrap up the decade on a great note as we continue to grow our customer base and set our footing in the country. 2019 was a year where we placed great emphasis on expanding our product offensive with innovative technology and emotional design, catering to the needs of our customers. We also celebrated the 15th year anniversary of local production excellence noting the 100,000th vehicle roll out milestone and the commencement of Philippines export initiatives. Through a solid leadership and vision, we reaffirmed our commitment to the Malaysian market and our customers in delivering the Best Product and Best Customer Experiences.”
The achievement of maintaining its leading position in the luxury segment is a result of MBM’s effort through a customer-centric strategy, holistically delivering on innovative technology and advancements, mobility solutions as well as products to meet customer’s preference.
Vice President of Sales and Marketing at MBM, Michael Jopp added “Despite facing headwinds, we ended the year on a strong note to cement our position in premium automotive segment. We delivered 10,020 cars to our Malaysian customers signifying a continuous mark of confidence towards our brand. We are fully confident that 2019 has set up a great tone as we power up a great momentum for the new decade.”
MBM launched several models in 2019, including the E-Class with the debuting the E 350 AMG Line, E 200 SPORTSTYLE Avantgarde and the E 300 Exclusive Line; the A-Class sedan with A200 and A250 variants; the latest GLC and GLE SUV models; the Mercedes-AMG A35; Mercedes-AMG GT R and GT C; and the new GLC 200, 300 and 300 Coupe SUVs. Further, Mercedes-Benz also launched additions to the AMG line-up i.e. Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupé, and Mercedes-AMG C 63 S.
MBM also presented its first ever S-Class Plug-in Hybrid, the S 560 e, as well as the Mercedes-Benz EQ brand experience which featured the Southeast Asian premiere of the all-electric EQC, positioning Mercedes-Benz as pioneers of sustainable mobility. The EQ range signifies a new era of mobility in the country without compromising on luxury, comfort, quality, design and driving dynamics.
Production-wise, Mercedes-Benz started assembling the left-hand-drive version of the Mercedes-Benz C 180 for export to the Philippines. For MBM, this is the start of similar initiatives within the SEA region. MBM’s Pekan Plant production efficiency and expertise also contributed to the 100,000th vehicle roll out in 2019. The impressive CKD production line-up stands at 13 variants from five model lines; C-Class, E-Class and S-Class sedans, GLC and GLC Coupe SUVs, as well as two Mercedes-AMG models, the C 43 and the GLC 43.
MBM also introduced a new brand presence as part of its Best Customer Experience initiative, starting with the Mercedes-Benz Autohaus in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, to elevate modern luxury at dealerships. This saw the transformation of a conventional point of sale to an immersive point of experience, a place where a customer can encounter the Mercedes-Benz Cars brand family and immerse themselves in a fascinating car purchasing and ownership journey.
Additionally, with a range of comprehensive and innovative finance and insurance solutions for Mercedes-Benz customers from Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia (MBSM), the company continues to offer innovative ownership solutions to provide customers with the peace of mind when purchasing a car. In 2019, MBSM financed five out of every 10 Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold and has built up a servicing portfolio of RM2.6 billion.
The financial arm of MBM recorded new contracts worth over RM1 billion and introduced new financing and insurance solutions such as Mobility Plus, the first-of-its-kind car replacement program in Malaysia’s auto financing industry along with Lease@Ease, an all-in-one lease payment plan with value added services such as Tyre & Rims and Comprehensive Insurance with Service and Maintenance.
On the after-sales aspect of the business, the company achieved a record-breaking throughput of 165,299 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 11% over the 148,800 units in 2018. Customer experience enhancements in the year included the introduction of Express Service 2.0 and online appointment bookings. Mercedes me connect and Mercedes me adapter to allow customers to become part of an intelligently connect world with direct access to their vehicles at their fingertips.
As an invested organization with a long-term commitment in Malaysia, MBM proactively contributed to the development of the nation’s home-grown talent skills in the automotive industry through the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Training Academy. An additional 30 apprentices graduated from the academy in 2019, as they transformed into globally-certified technicians through the Advance Modern Apprenticeship Programme, bringing the total to 853 globally-certified local apprentices since the inception of the training programme.
On its outlook for the year ahead, Dr Weidner said, “2020 will be a memorable, exciting year for Mercedes-Benz with refreshing innovations and new products to elevate the customer experience.”
