Mercedes-Benz Q1 sales drop on supply bottlenecks in Asia

Mercedes Benz sales fell 6 per cent in the first quarter, hit by supply bottlenecks in Asia and its luxury model range changeover, the German premium carmaker said on Wednesday.

Deliveries fell to 568,400 cars and vans in the January-March period, while sales of battery electric vehicles dropped even more sharply, by 9 per cent, to 50,500 vehicles, it said in a statement.

First-quarter sales in Europe were down 2 per cent, in Asia they fell 15 per cent and in north America, they dropped 1 per cent, Mercedes Benz added.

Peer BMW's sales rose 1 per cent in the quarter, with sales of fully electric vehicles adding 27.9 per cent.