KUALA LUMPUR: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia finishes the decade with a total of 10,020 cars sold in 2019 and capturing a 1.8 per cent market share in the country, clinching the top spot for luxury car brand of the local market.
MBM president and chief executive officer 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.”
Sales and Marketing vice president Michael Jopp added, “Despite facing headwinds, we ended the year on a strong note to cement our position in the 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.”
Key launches that took place last year include the E-Class debuting its E 350 AMG Line, E 200 SPORTSTYLE Avantgarde and the E 300 Exclusive Line, the A-Class sedan with models A200 and A250, the latest GLC and GLE SUV models, the Mercedes-AMG A35, the Mercedes-AMG GT R and GT C, the new GLC 200, 300 and 300 Coupe SUV models. The year also witnessed the launch of a trio of cars adding to the AMG line-up featuring the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupé, and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S.
MBM also presented its first ever S-Class Plug-in Hybrid, the S 560 e.
MBM claims the company's improved after-sales service led to a record-breaking throughput of 165,299 vehicles, an 11 per cent increase over the 148,800 units managed in 2018. Mercedes-Benz Services Malaysia records financing five out of every 10 Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold with a concrete servicing portfolio of RM2.6 billion and new contracts record worth over RM 1 billion.
New financing and insurance solutions includes the 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 and rims and comprehensive insurance with service and maintenance.
MBM’s Pekan Plant rolled out its 100,000th vehicle in 2019, marking a rather 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.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s also introduced a new, luxury-modern dealership at the Mercedes-Benz Autohaus in Mutiara Damansara to further service customers of the brand.
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 were also introduced to allow customers to adopt intelligent-connectivity with their vehicles.
As an invested organisation with a long-term commitment in the country, MBM proactively contributed to the development of the nation’s highly skilled home-grown talent in the automotive industry through the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Training Academy.
2019 also witnessed the graduation of an additional 30 apprentices from Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Training Academy, globally-certifying technicians through the Advance Modern Apprenticeship Programme. This brings the total to 853 globally certified local apprentices since the inception of the training programme.
“2020 will be a memorable, exciting year for Mercedes-Benz with refreshing innovations and new products to elevate the customer experience,” said Weidner on the company's 2020 outlook.