Looking to the group's different divisions, unit sales dropped 7% at Mercedes-Benz cars in the first three months.reported Friday a sluggish start to the year, with first-quarter profits falling back compared to 2018 as a slew of problems hit its different divisions.
“We cannot and will not be satisfied with this — as expected — moderate start to the year,” outgoing chief executive Dieter Zetsche said in a statement.The Stuttgart-based group predicts a “slight increase in unit sales” across its cars, trucks and vans units will help inch up revenue and operating profit compared with 2018.
Meanwhile, the trucks unit upped unit sales and revenue slightly, but spent more on research and development and suffered from higher costs, slicing into profits.