Sales of battery-electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz have surged this year, but overall demand for their models has contracted, highlighting a shift that several other car manufacturers are experiencing.

Through the first half of the year, the entire Mercedes-Benz Group moved 1,011,500 vehicles, down 6 percent from the first half of 2025. First-quarter sales had actually risen 2 percent to 511,900, so the slide arrived later in the period. The picture looks worse for Mercedes-Benz Cars itself, which includes the company’s Vans division.

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So far this year, Mercedes-Benz Cars has sold 837,200 vehicles worldwide, a 7 percent decline. Second-quarter sales fell 8 percent to 417,800 units against the prior year. The bright spot is battery-electric demand, which is running strong, though the brand hasn’t been kind enough to break out sales figures for each individual EV model.

EVs Prove Strong

A total of 97,100 new EVs were sold by the brand this year, 28 percent up from the same period last year. Demand proved particularly strong in the second quarter, rising 51 percent to 52,900 units. As sales from the Mercedes-Benz Vans division are included, total BEV sales rise to 113,300 units year-to-date, a 30 percent increase from last year. Mercedes credits the electric CLA, electric GLC, and electric GLB as the main growth drivers, and says strong European demand did much of the lifting on EV deliveries.

While BEVs are performing well, the rest of the company’s models are struggling. In its Top-End category, which consists of Mercedes-AMG, Maybach, G-Class, S-Class, GLS, EQS, and EQS SUV models, sales are down 8 percent this year to 119,600 units. Similarly, sales of the Core models, including the C-Class, E-Class, EQE, and EQE SUV, are down 7 percent to 497,300, and Entry Level models, like the A-Class, B-Class, EQS, and EQB, have fallen 5 percent to 220,300.

Mercedes pinned part of the Top-End decline on planned product changeovers and the timing of model availability, and pointed out that G-Class deliveries actually rose 3 percent during the quarter.

Most of the overall decline traces back to Asia. Across the region, total Mercedes-Benz Cars sales fell 25 percent to 291,000 units through the first half. China was worse still, down 28 percent to 210,200, and the slide steepened in the second quarter as sales dropped 30 percent to 98,600. Mercedes did confirm, though, that several China-focused models, including the long-wheelbase electric GLC L SUV, will land in that market during the second half of the year.

Similarly, sales across the ‘Rest of World’ dropped 11 percent. By contrast, sales in Europe were up 5 percent this year, and North American sales rose 15 percent.

Mercedes-Benz Sales 2026