MONTVALE, NJ - Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported May sales of 19,176 vehicles, an increase of 26.7 percent, continuing the second quarter with a 25.8-percent increase on a year-to-date basis.

Impressive gains were made in both the Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-truck categories. The strongest performer of the month was the 9th generation E-Class - which expanded to include the wagon and cabriolet models - with sales of 5,476 (up 140.7 percent).

The company's flagship sedan, the S-Class, marked increased gains with sales of 1,085 (up 21.2 percent) and the newly introduced supercar and brand halo - the SLS AMG - reported strong initial sales of 168. The top performer on the luxury light truck side was the versatile M-Class SUV with sales of 2,264.

On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 87,970 new vehicles, an increase of 25.8 percent over last year.

Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 6,964 vehicles in May; a 0.4-percent decrease compared to May 2009 sales of 6,992 vehicles. Year-to-date sales for the MBCPO program were 34,898, a 5.9-percent increase over 2009 year-to-date sales (32,951 vehicles) during the same timeframe.