Mercedes says supply short of demand for popular new CLA

Mercedes-Benz has told its US dealers they should expect fewer deliveries of its popular new CLA C model in the first half of 2014, after the new coupe, priced just under $30,000, helped widen the automaker's luxury-sales lead this year over Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) cars.

Mercedes, a unit of Daimler AG, said in a 9 December letter to dealers that it anticipates ''tight inventories and low day's supply'' from February through June because of the car's ''overwhelming success'' worldwide. The CLA's plant is at full capacity, and output should support demand by July, according to the letter.

''This is our best launch in 20 years,'' Steve Cannon, head of US sales for Mercedes, said in a subsequent e-mailed statement. ''The CLA has been a phenomenal success right out of the gate.''

Mercedes widened its US lead over BMW in November, with CLA sales contributing almost all its monthly gain. Deliveries for the Mercedes unit of Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler rose 14 per cent through the year's first 11 months, giving it a 7,610-vehicle lead over BMW.

Mercedes is seeking to end BMW's two-year reign in annual US luxury car sales, after Daimler chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche said in July that he expected to come up short of its rival again.

The CLA is bringing a younger buyer to Mercedes, according to the letter to dealers. The median age is 46, compared with 54 for C-Class buyers and 57 for the brand, Mercedes said.

''Our dealers say that they're seeing a lot more floor traffic and many new faces'' because of the CLA, Cannon said. ''The increase in our overall model sales indicates that this traffic is benefiting all Mercedes-Benz models.''