(LEAD) Mercedes-Benz aims for double-digit sales growth this year

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from para 3)

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- Mercedes-Benz Korea, the local importer of the luxury German car brand, said Wednesday that it is targeting a double-digit gain in sales in South Korea this year on the back of a diversified lineup.

The German carmaker said it will roll out 11 new models, including SUVs, this year, and plans to invest 190 billion won (US$157 million) in expanding its sales network and other facilities, which marks a 30-percent rise from a year earlier.

The company said it plans to roll out the new E-Class sedan along with the C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet within the year. The E-Class midsize executive car is very popular in the country, selling close to 90,000 units from 2006 onwards.

The double-digit rate of growth being targeted by Mercedes-Benz is higher than the 8.5 percent gains in sales forecast for the local market by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association for this year.

Related to the growth target, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea Dimitris Psillakis said at a press event, held in Seoul that the annual sales target has been set at over 50,000 units. Last year, the carmaker sold some 47,000 cars in the country.

The company, meanwhile, said it will open eight new service centers across the nation to have a total of 48 by the end of the year, with 41 showrooms being established, also up 46 percent from a year earlier.

sam@yna.co.kr
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