Global vehicle sales by DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes car group fell 1.8% in March from a year ago to 115,400 units.


Reuters said this brought sales of Mercedes and Smart cars to 274,000 units in the first quarter, a drop of 4.2% year-on-year.


Sales declined 8% in January and almost 4% in February, mainly due to weak demand in western Europe for its aging product line, Reuters added.