Australians bought more Mercedes-Benz luxury cars in 2004, than any other luxury brand, according to official VFACTS sales figures released today.

The Stuttgart manufacturer delivered 11,489 passenger cars during 2004, compared to 10,807 passenger cars for its nearest competitor.

In addition to passenger car sales, Mercedes delivered 1,226 luxury four-wheel-drives. The company’s updated M-Class will be released during the third quarter of 2005, reinvigorating the three-pointed-star’s success in the luxury four-wheel-drive market.

The new-generation C-Class, including saloon, estate and sports coupé, contributed to the brand’s number one luxury passenger car ranking in Australia accounting for over 40 per cent of sales with 5,085 units.

E-Class continued the comprehensive domination of its class with 2,520 cars delivered during the year – a lead of over 500 cars on its closest competitor. Sales of the expanded E-Class estate model range rose by 70 percent.

The popularity of the CLK-Class continued unabated with 1,954 sales, incorporating a 43 per cent increase in CLK Cabriolet sales.

The S-Class saloon and the S-Class coupe (CL-Class) remained leaders in the über-luxury segment with a total of 331 units.

The more powerful and sportier SLK-Class attracted 457 customers in 2004, recording a rise of over 140 per cent, with demand exceeding supply.

Buyers in the ultra-luxury sports car class continued their love affair with the dynamic SL-Class roadster accounting for 280 deliveries in 2004.

In the entry-level luxury segment, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class continued its strong sales performance with 862 deliveries, a remarkable achievement given it has been on sale for six years and will be updated in May 2005.

Mercedes-AMG, the high-performance arm of Mercedes-Benz, continued its strong push into a number of sports car segments with 367 units of the Affalterbach-fettled cars delivered to Australians in 2004.