Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars, said it sold 101,400 vehicles worldwide, up 17.5% compared with the same month last year, amid record deliveries in China and strong demand for its E- and S-Class sedans.
In China, sales leapt by 121% to 11,500 units and in the United States by 22.6% to 18,500 vehicles.
German sales slipped by 3.5% to 24,700 however, and the minicar Smart also struggled, with a global drop of 15.2% to 9,300 units.
Sales director Joachim Schmidt hailed the fact that "in May, Mercedes-Benz was able to grow faster than the global market. Thanks to this good result, we expect a solid second quarter with a double-digit increase" in sales.
Luxury car makers like Audi, BMW and Mercedes are faring better this year after car-scrapping schemes in 2009 boosted sales mostly for smaller, less expensive models.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
