Mercedes Picks up Speed

German-US auto giant DaimlerChrysler said Tuesday that sales of its prestigious Mercedes brand rose sharply in November, driven primarily by the success of its new models. DaimlerChrysler said in a statement that it sold a total of 91,000 Mercedes cars worldwide in November, 8.2 percent more than in the year-earlier month. In the 11 months to November as a whole, Mercedes sales declined by 4.9 percent to 955,300 units, the car maker continued. "The main driver of growth was the new A-Class," DaimlerChrysler said. "It got off to an excellent start," said board member Joachim Schmidt. "Around 40,000 cars have been handed over to customers in Europe since the market launch in mid-September." Sales of Mercedes' trendy Smart car rose by 22.8 percent to 12,500 units in November alone and were up by 21.8 percent at 126,000 units in the 11 months to November, the company said.