Mercedes-Benz Group sold 491,700 cars and vans in the third quarter of 2026, 6 percent fewer than a year earlier. The decline came from China, where market conditions remained difficult; outside the country, group sales rose 2 percent.
Battery-electric sales across cars and vans jumped 52 percent to 78,100 units, lifting the nine-month total to 191,400, up 38 percent. Over the first nine months, group deliveries stood at 1,503,200, down 6 percent.
A Record Quarter for Electric Cars
Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 407,200 vehicles, down 8 percent globally but up 1 percent outside China, with growth in Europe and North America. Its electric sales reached 68,400, a quarterly record, up 61 percent on last year and 29 percent on the second quarter.
That put the global BEV share at an all-time high of 16.8 percent, and including plug-in hybrids, electrified cars made up 25 percent of sales. Sales chief Mathias Geisen credited the electric GLC, whose volume more than tripled from the second quarter, and noted that non-China car sales have now risen for three consecutive quarters.
Electric CLA sales gained 24 percent on the second quarter as the model reached more markets, including the U.S. and Japan, and the new electric GLB made a solid start.
Demand for the new electric line-up is running ahead of supply. The battery-electric GLC, CLA, GLB and GLA are sold out in Europe for the rest of the year, with order books stretching well into 2027, and the Bremen, Rastatt and Kecskemét plants are on three-shift schedules.
Regional Picture
Europe grew 5 percent to 168,700 cars. Germany rose 13 percent and the UK 7 percent, and both have risen in each quarter this year. European BEV sales set a quarterly record, up 78 percent, with nearly one in three cars sold fully electric. Mercedes-Benz also topped Germany’s BEV fleet market in August.
North America grew 4 percent to 83,200 cars, and 11 percent over nine months. U.S. sales rose 6 percent in the quarter and 12 percent year to date, helped in September by the arrival of the new GLE, GLE Coupé and GLS at dealers.
Asia fell 25 percent to 132,300 cars, with China down 31 percent to 86,800 amid weak demand and intense competition. The GLC and E-Class made up almost two-thirds of China sales and held up better than the market. The electric GLC L, launched in July, is ramping up well, and the locally built GLE L SUV followed in mid-September. Rest of World sales came to 23,000 cars.
Mercedes has also widened its retail footprint. Fifteen Mercedes-Benz Studios have opened in major cities since April, with three more due in the coming months. They have drawn more than 1.5 million visitors and hosted three world premieres and market launches including the C-Class, GLS and GLA.
Segment Performance
SUVs made up 56 percent of Mercedes-Benz Cars sales over nine months, led by the GLC. Top-End sales were 53,900 in the quarter, or 13.2 percent of the total, held back by China and model changeovers; outside China, S-Class sales more than doubled on the second quarter as the new model ramped up.
Core segment sales were 234,200, down 6 percent but up 5 percent outside China, with double-digit growth in Europe. The electric GLC drove that segment and was named German Premium Car of the Year 2027 in September.
The updated C-Class Saloon and Estate with electrified combustion engines opened for orders in August, followed by the electric C 300 4MATIC in Europe in September. Entry sales were 119,200, down 4 percent on last year but up 8 percent on the second quarter as the CLA expanded. The all-new GLA entered series production in Rastatt in September and has drawn encouraging early orders.