Merc E-Class gets 30,000 Europe orders

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Mumbai: Daimler Chrysler has booked more than 30,000 orders in western Europe for the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class car that went on sale in Europe on June 10, the world's fifth-biggest carmaker said on Monday, Reuters reports.

"We're delighted about this promising sales launch," Klaus Maier, head of sales and marketing at premium division Mercedes Car Group, said in a statement. It rolls out the model in other markets later this year.

Daimler Chrysler has been putting the focus on safety for the revamped version of the E-Class, eager to move beyond the quality problems that dogged its predecessor and hurt Mercedes' image.

Daimler Chrysler shares rose 1.4 per cent to €53.50 while the DJ Stoxx European car sector index gained 1.1 per cent.

A successful sales campaign for Mercedes-Benz's second-biggest model line could fuel sales growth and fatten margins while demonstrating it has regained top form as a manufacturer of high-end cars that command premium prices.

At a media preview of the E-Class in April, company officials stressed that the model's quality hiccups, especially in its on-board electronics, had been fixed.

Mercedes-Benz officials have given no sales forecasts for the revamped version of the E-Class. The previous version has sold more than 1 million units since the saloon made its debut in early 2002 and the estate version a year later.

That made it the biggest-selling business car, with market shares of around 30 per cent of its segment in Western Europe and 38 per cent in Germany, according to Daimler Chrysler figures.

Mercedes officials cite as selling points new design features including a larger and more upright V-shaped grille, more agile handling, engines with up to 26 per cent more power and a price freeze for the four- and six-cylinder versions.

Prices start at €36,424 euros for the new E 200 CDI model and horsepower rises to 136 from 122 without increasing fuel consumption from 6.3 litres per 100 km.