Daimler said on August 4 that a record performance in China boosted its sales in July, posting its ninth straight double-digit gain despite a weak home market.
Global sales last month jumped 12.9% from a year earlier to 106,100, including 97,700 for Mercedes, a gain for the brand of 17.1%.
The company reported record sales of 14,600 vehicles in the fast-growing Chinese market, a four-fold increase on the same period last year.
However, sales slipped 1.8% in Germany, its main domestic market, and by 2.5% in Western Europe.
In the United States, sales gained 7% to 17,400.
Overall, sales of the Mercedes E- and S-Class models drove the overall result, Daimler said, posting its ninth consecutive month of double-digit annualized growth.
Smart brand sales declined further, however, losing 20.1% to 8,400 vehicles.
Like its main rivals Audi and BMW, Daimler has posted strong second-quarter results and forecasts growth "at a double-digit rate in full-year 2010."
In the first seven months of the year, sales were up 15.5%.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
