While experiencing a marginal 3.7 percent decrease in its sales for the month of March (20,808 vs. 21,612), Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) maintained a three percent increase for the first quarter of 2008 (57,647 vs. 55,985) bringing year-to-date sales to the highest level in the company's history.

Highlights for the month include growth in various segments of Mercedes' diverse product portfolio. The volume-leading entry-level C-Class model line demonstrated a significant increase with a 49.6 percent gain (6,713 vs. 4,486 units). On the other end of the portfolio, sales of the high-end luxury CL coupes were slightly above last March with nearly a 1 percent increase (297 vs. 295 units). The popularity of the sleek CLS-Class grew from 803 units last March to 935 units this March, an increase of 16.4 percent. In the SUV segment, M-Class sales jumped 21.8 percent (3,189 vs. 2,619 units).

For the first quarter of 2008, the biggest increases in Mercedes-Benz sales were posted for the C-Class model line with 39.6 percent gains (17,141 vs. 12,282 units) and the M-Class model line which rose 28.5 percent (9,507 vs. 7,401 units).

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned program, MBUSA sold 5,110 vehicles in March, bringing first quarter sales to 13,251 units, a 4.3 percent increase over the same period last year.