The Mercedes-Benz Group recently released global sales data for the second quarter of 2026. The Group delivered a total of 511,900 passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 6%. Among them, the Chinese market has become the biggest drag, with sales in China falling 30% year-on-year to 98,600 vehicles in the second quarter, a decline far exceeding the global average.
Globally, Mercedes-Benz passenger car deliveries were 417,800 units, a year-on-year decrease of 8%. However, pure electric models have become one of the few bright spots. Thanks to the strong momentum of new models such as the CLA pure electric version, global sales of pure electric models surged 50% year-on-year in the second quarter, reaching 63,000 units.
However, the growth of pure electric vehicles is far from enough to offset the overall decline in the basic base of fuel vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is facing sales pressure in major markets around the world.
The 30% decline in the Chinese market is particularly eye-catching. For comparison, Mercedes-Benz's sales in China in 2025 were 575,000 units, a year-on-year decline of 19.3%, making it the brand with the largest decline in the BBA.
Entering 2026, this downward trend has not only failed to be curbed, but has further accelerated in the second quarter. During the same period, BMW China's sales in 2025 fell by 12.5% to 625,500 units, Audi China's sales fell by 5% to 617,500 units, and Mercedes-Benz's Chinese market share in the BBA continued to shrink.
Mercedes-Benz's sales in China continue to stall. On the one hand, China's local new energy brands are rapidly emerging in the price range of 300,000 to 500,000 yuan. Brands such as Ideal, Wenjie, NIO, and Ji Krypton continue to encroach on the traditional luxury brand hinterland. The Mercedes-Benz EQ series of pure electric models have previously been weak in the market due to high pricing and insufficient product capabilities.
On the other hand, the main models of Mercedes-Benz fuel vehicles are facing the dilemma of "exchanging price for volume". Terminal discounts for core models such as C-Class, E-Class, and GLC are constantly increasing, but it is still difficult to reverse the downward sales trend.
Previous reports pointed out that BBA’s sales in China have fallen back to the levels seven or eight years ago. Mercedes-Benz's sales in the Chinese market in 2025 will be 575,000 vehicles, a drop of more than 25% from the high of 774,000 vehicles in 2020.
