As 2018 nears its end, automakers are beginning to draw conclusions about their sales for the year. Mercedes-Benz has been on a roll, as the German automaker posted record sales back in May of this year. Clearly, the sales success wasn't a fluke, because Mercedes has continued with its record-setting sales year. In the company's most recent sales report, the company announced that it has already sold 1.5 million vehicles this year, setting a new sales record in the process.

Mercedes sold 1,512,268 vehicles in the first eight months of 2018 (up 1.1% from 2017). Mercedes has never reached 1.5 million in sales so early in the year, as August becomes the 30th consecutive month with more than 150,000 global sales. The strong sales can be attributed to a few very successful models, namely SUVs. To no one's surprise, Mercedes sold a record number of SUVs through the first eight months of the year, 541,120 to be exact (an increase of 5.4%). The success of SUVs should only continue with the introduction of the brand's first all-electric SUV, the EQC.

The E-Class sedan and wagon also saw record sales in August with 25,367 units ( up 0.4%), so too did the S-Class sedan with 5,254 units (up 30.3%), marking the best sales year ever in the first eight months for the flagship S-Class in the company's history. Even Smart sold 8,470 vehicles in August (up 9.8%), though the brand only sold 85,534 units through the first eight months (down 2.6%). It's looking like Mercedes cannot be stopped, and we wouldn't surprised if the company claims the sales crown for the third year in a row.