April 30, 2026 – Mercedes – Benz has just unveiled its financial results for the first quarter of 2026.
The figures reveal that the company’s operating revenue in this quarter stood at 31.602 billion euros, marking a 4.9% year – on – year decline. This indicates that Mercedes – Benz is facing certain growth pressures in its overall operations.
In terms of profit performance, the net profit for the first quarter dropped to 1.433 billion euros, a significant 17.2% fall compared to the same period last year. This downturn reflects the severe test that traditional luxury car giants are undergoing in terms of profitability amid the highly volatile global automotive market.
Looking at the performance across different regional markets globally, the European and North American markets emerged as the main growth drivers for Mercedes – Benz in this quarter. In Europe, the company sold 158,500 vehicles, a 7% year – on – year increase. In North America, sales reached 89,500 units, up by 16%, with the US market showing an even more impressive 20% growth.
However, the situation in the Chinese market was far from optimistic and became a major drag on Mercedes – Benz’s performance growth. In the first quarter, the company sold 111,600 vehicles in China, a sharp 27% year – on – year decline. Industry analysts believe that this is mainly due to the fierce competition from Chinese domestic brands and the impact of Mercedes – Benz’s own product iteration cycle.
Regarding electrification transformation, Mercedes – Benz’s sales of pure – electric models in the first quarter reached 44,200 units, a 9% year – on – year increase. Particularly in the European market, pure – electric model sales soared by 34%, with the German market showing remarkable strength. New models like the CLA saw a continuous rise in order numbers.
It’s worth noting that due to factors such as the discontinuation of some plug – in hybrid models in the Chinese market, Mercedes – Benz’s overall proportion of electrified vehicle sales slightly decreased to 20%. This fluctuation shows that Mercedes – Benz still needs to make more precise and dynamic adjustments to its electrification transformation pace across different global markets.
From the perspective of product profit structure, high – end luxury models remain the cornerstone for Mercedes – Benz. Both Maybach and G – Class vehicles achieved double – digit growth during the reporting period, effectively supporting the company’s profit level. In contrast, sales of entry – level and core mainstream models have declined significantly.
Faced with sales pressure in its traditional strong markets, Mercedes – Benz will focus its future strategic efforts on further optimizing its product structure. While dealing with the localization competition in the Chinese market, balancing high – end premiums with the sales scale of mainstream models will be the core challenge for Mercedes – Benz to maintain its brand competitiveness.
