Benz in the Road

The economy may be stagnating and luxury retailers may be struggling, but Mercedes-Benz USA (Montvale, N.J.) announced that July 2003 sales were 5.7 percent ahead of the same period last year.

This marks the best July sales in MBUSA history, and the year-to-date total set a new record for the first seven months of MBUSA sales. The luxury car-maker says it is on pace for a record-breaking year.

The C-Class family of sedans, wagons and coupes was the July pace-setter, accelerating the model line's volume by 24.6 percent over July 2002 — the best July on record for the C-Class. The model line has also been the volume leader for year-to-date sales, 5.3 percent over the first seven months of 2002.