Sales of Mercedes-Benz group cars in February rose by 16 percent to 83,800 units, the company said on Monday.

For the first two months of the year, sales amounted to 156, 600 vehicles, an increase of 8 percent from the same period in 2005, the Stuttgart-headquartered company said in a statement.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz brand cars rose 23 percent to 76,100 units in February over last year. Growth was particularly strong worldwide for the new B, M, R and S-Class models.

Customer deliveries in Western Europe rose 18 percent, the company said, adding that growth was buoyed by rising sales in all regions.

But for the Smart brand, a mini car by Mercedes-Benz, the sales fell 25.9 percent from last year to 7,700 units in February.

Editor: Yan