Ahead of its full Q4 report and 2023 sales breakdown, Mercedes-Benz USA has posted some of its sales numbers, which are encouraging overall, especially in the growing segment of BEVs, which saw nearly 250% growth year-over-year.
German automaker Mercedes-Benz remains one of the leaders amongst its legacy OEM competitors in electrification. The automaker has invested big bucks in eventually electrifying its entire global lineup while still delivering the luxury and performance the near century-old brand is known for.
We’ve seen the German automaker make enormous strides around the globe, including in the US, where its electric SUVs are currently being built. To support its growing arsenal of all-electric luxury vehicles, we’ve also seen Mercedes begin rolling out its own network of luxe charging stations – starting at its US headquarters near Atlanta before expanding to additional territories in Europe and China.
This week at CES, Mercedes-Benz’s booth in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was all-EV, painting an exciting future of vehicles like the G-Class EV (despite its horrendous wrap job) and a concept CLA EV – amongst several adjacent technologies debuting like a new AI assistant in its MBUX.
With more and more offerings, Mercedes-Benz USA reports continued sales growth in 2023, while the rest of its vehicles merely hold steady.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz 2023 sales show encouraging EV growth
According to a post from Mercedes-Benz USA this morning, its overall sales for Q4 2023 were 90,014 vehicles – up 2% compared to Q2 2022. That total includes 17,701 units from Mercedes-Benz Vans; the rest were passenger cars.
For all of 2023, Mercedes-Benz USA is reporting 351,746 vehicles sold, up by only 0.2% compared to a year prior. Top-end and Can sales are up year-over-year, while Mercedes’ core vehicles are down 4%. While vehicle sales have held relatively steady overall, Mercedes brand EVs are touting the most growth.
For example, Mercedes USA sold 8,989 EQS SUVs in 2023, increasing 216% from last year and leading the automaker’s top-tier segment in growth. Mercedes states that EQE Sedan sales reached 1,195 units in the US in Q4 2023, increasing 211% compared to Q4 2022.
Overall, Mercedes-Benz USA sold 43,202 EVs in 2023, representing 248% sales growth year-over-year. EVs also represented 15% of all passenger vehicle sales in the US this year. Per Mercedes-Benz USA president and CEO Dimitris Psillakis:
Our 2023 sales results demonstrate another year of strong brand and volume growth for Mercedes-Benz USA. In partnership with the best dealer network in the country, we delivered on our future-forward strategy to significantly grow Top-End Vehicle (TEV) and Electric Vehicle (EV) sales—with EVs comprising 15% of total passenger car sales, and TEV and EVs accounting for nearly half of total sales for the year. We have and will continue to focus relentlessly on transforming both the digital and physical experience for our customers, whether revitalizing stores with our dealer partners or building world-class digital tools that underpin our award-winning product portfolio. And with the all-new E-Class, CLE, AMG GT, G-Class with Electric Technology, eSprinter and more arriving at dealerships in the months ahead, 2024 is poised for even greater success.
It will be interesting to see how Mercedes USA’s numbers compare to the rest of the German auto group’s sales and how this growth will look this time next year, especially as several other automakers dial back their electrification strategies.
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The BYD “Shenzhen” set sail on its first voyage overseas this week. With 9,200 parking spots, or about enough to fill 20 football fields, BYD’s new car transport ship is now the world’s largest.
BYD’s largest car carrier sets sail for Brazil
BYD’s Shenzhen is on its maiden voyage to Brazil after setting sail on April 27. The vessel is carrying over 7,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It’s the largest single batch of NEVs exported from China so far.
The new vessel is BYD’s fourth car transport ship and the world’s largest, capable of carrying 9,000 vehicles. According to the company, that’s enough to fill about 20 football fields.
BYD launched its first car carrier, the Explorer No 1, in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
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Its second, the BYD Changzhou, set sail in December 2024, followed by the Hefei earlier this year. All three vessels can carry up to 7,000 vehicles, making the Shenzhen the largest so far.
BYD Shenzhen, the world’s largest car transport ship (Source: BYD)
The Shenzhen is named after the automaker’s hometown and demonstrates “BYD’s firm determination to promote sustainable development in Brazil.”
BYD is preparing to launch two more vessels, the Changsha and Xi’an. The Changsha is expected to launch soon, while the Xi’an was introduced on April 2.
The new car carriers will help accelerate BYD’s aggressive overseas expansion. In the first three months of 2025, the company sold over 206,000 NEVs overseas, more than double the number it sold last year.
BYD sells a wide range of vehicles in Brazil, including the low-cost Dolphin Mini, starting at around $20,000 (99,800 BRL). In October, it launched its first hybrid pickup truck, the Shark, starting at 379,800 BTL ($66,900).
Brazil is only one overseas market that BYD is targeting. BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe in 2025, with significant growth in other key regions like Southeast Asia, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, to name a few.
‘Tesla homes’ in a Houston neighborhood where all the homes have Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls went for sale.
7 out of the 11 homes have reportedly already sold.
Tesla neighborhood is a term that is being used for new developments where all the homes integrate all or part of Tesla’s power ecosystem, including the Powerwall home battery pack.
The best example is a giant new development project in Austin, Texas, by Brookfield Asset Management and Dacra in which up to 12,000 new homes are to be built and offering Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls.
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However, since the announcement, it looks like only some of the homes in the new neighborhood have Tesla energy systems.
One such ‘Tesla neighborhood’ is a small block of 11 townhouse homes featuring Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls in Houston, Texas.
The homes were recently completed and went on sale, starting at $544,900.
Here are some pictures from the listings:
Utopia Homes, the developer behind the project, described the properties (via Chron):
Step into modern elegance expertly crafted by Utopia Homes. This property showcases groundbreaking Tesla Solar Roof Shingles and Power Wall technology, ensuring 100% energy security and eliminating electric bills for a truly sustainable lifestyle.
The house has proved popular according to the real estate agents, with 7 out of 11 homes already sold.
Tesla has largely stopped discussing it, but it is still being deployed through some third-party installers, such as in this case, on new homes.
However, its Powerwall product remains a very popular solution for homeowners seeking greater energy independence and protection against outages, which have been a frequent problem in Texas.
More homeowners are turning to generators, and alternatives like home battery packs are gaining popularity.
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Canadian electric propulsion specialist Vision Marine continues to graduate beyond advanced outboard motors into a provider of all-electric boats. This month, Vision introduced two new electric pontoon boats – the 12-passenger V24 and 15-passenger V30, each capable of a range up to 90 nautical miles.
Vision Marine Technologies ($VMAR) is a Canadian technology company with over 25 years of experience in the marine industry. The company made waves (literally) by introducing its E-Motion turnkey powertrain system, which it has since integrated into a catamaran speedboat, which set a speed record of 109 mph in 2022.
Since then, Vision has introduced six hp two-cruiser vessels – the Fantail 217 and Volt 180, each capable of transporting 10 passengers via its E-Motion technology. Most recently, Vision Marine has integrated the full power of its 180 hp electric powertrain technology into two additional vessels, both electric pontoon boats.
Earlier this month, the company officially began sales of the Vision V24 and V30, which you can view below.
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The V24 Electric Pontoon Boat / Source: Vision Marine
The V30 / Source: Vision Marine
Vision Marine brings power and range to electric pontoons
According to Vision Marine Technologies, orders for its two new electric pontoon boats are now open, and they are touting the same E-Motion technology that put the company on the map a few years ago.
The first model is the V24, a 12-passenger electric pontoon that is 24′ 8″ in length and has 180 hp. The ultra-quiet E-Motion powertrain is powered by a standard 43 kWh marine battery pack, offering 40 nautical miles (46 miles) of all-electric range on a single charge. For added range, Vision sells a version of the electric pontoon with a second battery pack, totaling 86 kWh and delivering up to 90 nautical miles (104 miles) of range.
While the V24 offers more of a classic attempt at the pontoon boat, Vision’s additional new vessel, the all-electric V30, is a tad sportier and provides room for more passengers aboard (15). This 30′ vessel features the same E-Motion powertrain options, complete with the same two battery configurations to offer the same ranges as the V24.
However, the V30 has additional features such as 4 x 6.5″ interior speakers and cool-touch seats. Both models feature an integrated onboard charger that supports both 120- 240V (30 to 50 amps) for seamless charging, no matter the dock plug while moored.
The Vision V24 starts at $99,995 for the standard battery pack version, while the V30 starts at a higher price of $139,995. As previously mentioned, both electric pontoon boats are available to order today.
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