Records set 12-months ago have been broken by the Mercedes-Benz Vans division
Mercedes-Benz Vans has announced record sales, revenue, and EBIT figures during 2015, breaking benchmarks set just 12 months earlier.
Delivering 321,000 vehicles globally across the year, the latest delivery figures sit nine per cent above 2014’s previous record, Mercedes-Benz says, and have pushed revenue numbers up 15 per cent to 11.5 billion euros (A$17.1 billion).
However, the biggest growth was seem in the division’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) figures, which increased by over 29 per cent to 880 million euros (A$1,307.6 million).
The growth is predicted to continue in 2016 according Mercedes-Benz Vans head Volker Mornhinweg.
“In 2015 we significantly exceeded our 2014’s record figures,” he says. “In 2016 we want to further continue our growth path.”
“I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to our successful worldwide team for this outstanding performance.”
To continue the growth, Mornhinweg says the company’s strategy is two-fold.
“First of all we are focused on systematically reinforcing our position as technology leader,” he says.
“And secondly we aim to continue to strengthen our position in the existing markets and to open up additional potential for growth worldwide.”
Part of this new market growth will come in China with the launch of the V-Class on March 18.
The company is also looking to introduce its ‘pickup’ model to Latin America, South Africa, Europe, and Australia as part of its global growth strategy.
“These versatile vehicles with all-round qualities and a payload of around one tonne are popular worldwide and, as such, offer good sales potential,” the company says.
“The pickup offers the perfect way to unlock new customer segments.”
Market share
Mercedes-Benz says a key driver of the growth came in the form of international fleet businesses increasing large-scale orders over the year.
These customers grew their purchases by 13 per cent over 2015, the company says, with European customers growing their numbers by 10 per cent and overseas markets increasing their numbers by up to 40 per cent.
The van division says the US, Australia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa played key roles in the overseas numbers.
The year was also the best on record for the Sprinter van, with the vehicle growing its presence by four per cent on the back of North American demand.
The NAFTA region as a whole was a strong market for the division thanks to a 29 per cent growth in deliveries – the majority of which headed to the US.
In other regions, numbers rose in Eastern and Western Europe by five and 10 per cent, respectively, but fell in Latin America by two per cent.