2016 a record year for Mercedes
Two million cars sold as BMW relegated to second place.
The last 12 months have been good for Mercedes-Benz.
It sold more than two million cars for the first time, overtook BMW in the race to be the world's largest luxury car manufacturer and laid out its electric future with the new EQ sub-brand.
Nico Rosberg even won the Formula 1 driver's championship for the brand.
So we can forgive Daimler chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche for being a little cheeky at the brand's new year's reception, parking a pair of cars with their tail-lights pointed at guests because "we call this the competitor's view".
Luxury brands continue to grow around the world, and Mercedes is happy with increases of 12.4 and 26.6 per cent in Europe and China respectively. The three-pointed star is the number one luxury brand in the US and Australia, where 13.3 per cent growth outstripped BMW, Audi and Lexus in 2016.
Sales of Mercedes-AMG performance cars grew by a massive 44 per cent last year, and they are likely to continue to rise as the sub-brand celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with a range of special-edition models.
Zetsche says his customers are growing younger, and that more than half of its compact car sales are to people new to the brand. To that end, Mercedes' small car family will grow "from five to eight members" in coming years, giving consumers more choice than before.
Expect the A-Class, B-Class, GLA-Class SUV and CLA-Class sedan and Shooting Brake to be joined by an electric model, a new sedan and a second compact SUV in years to come.
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