Like most automakers in 2024, Mercedes-Benz ended the year with positive sales growth. The German manufacturer sold 324,528 vehicles last year, an increase of 9% compared to 2023.
As expected, SUVs have been the dominant force in the lineup, while coupes and sedans have largely taken a back seat. Unfortunately, none fell harder than the SL, which lost 56% of its popularity.
It only sold 1,608 copies over the entire year. For comparison, the GLE-Class, Mercedes’ best-selling vehicle, sold almost as many units each week, on average. Ford sold more F-Series pickups every day.
Of course, the SL has always been a niche vehicle. Launched in 2021, the current generation roadster lacks neither pace nor power, especially with the launch of the SL 63 SE Performance hybrid.
We took the 805-horsepower roadster for a test drive earlier this year, and found that it’s extremely fast while being surprisingly comfortable. It is also extremely expensive. The SL 43 Roadster is a little more reasonable, but it’s still indulgent luxury.
-One might be tempted to say that all niche performance cars are experiencing declining sales, but that’s not entirely true. If we look at Mercedes-Benz sales data, we see that the AMG GT had a great year.
Its sales increased by 77%, with 3,491 vehicles sold. Granted, the GT range includes two-door and four-door variants, making comparison difficult. But it’s still an expensive performance car that does well even in this market.
“I am extremely proud to close out 2024 by celebrating the best retail month in our history in December and reporting continued strong sales momentum from the third quarter throughout the final quarter of 2024”said Dimitris Psillakis, general manager of Mercedes-Benz USA.
“This is an exceptional result that directly reflects the resilience and hard work of our teams, as well as the exceptional overall appeal of our brand and our highly desirable product range. Sales from our premium segment continued to dominate, setting new benchmarks with record Mercedes-AMG sales and an all-time high for sales of the iconic G-Class.”
