Mercedes Targets 50% SUV Sales in U.S.

Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz brand hopes this year to hike the proportion of its U.S. sales represented by SUV/crossovers to 50%.

The ratio climbed from 40% in 2015 to nearly 47% last year. The percentage dropped a point in January-May because of a shortage of product, Ken Schnitzer, chairman of the brand’s U.S. dealer board, tells Automotive News.

But more crossovers are scheduled to reach showrooms later this month. Schnitzer says the increase should enable Mercedes to set another sales record this year. The luxury brand sold 374,500 passenger vehicles in the U.S. in 2016, according to Autodata Corp.