STUTTGART (dpa-AFX) - According to an analysis, Mercedes-Benz was the most profitable of the world's largest car manufacturers last year. Profitability - measured by the EBIT margin, which is the ratio of operating profit to sales - was 12.8 percent. This is the result of an analysis by the auditing and consulting firm EY, which examined the key financial figures of the 16 largest car companies in the world.

According to the data, Mercedes leads the ranking ahead of Opel's parent company Stellantis (12.1 percent) and BMW (11.9 percent). In contrast to second and third place, however, Stuttgart's margin fell compared to the previous year. However, Tesla recorded the sharpest decline in 2023: the electric car manufacturer's margin fell from 16.8% to 9.2% compared to the previous year, placing the company in the middle of the field. The Volkswagen Group landed in tenth place. Bringing up the rear was the US car manufacturer Ford.

Thanks to high new car prices and a seven percent increase in sales, the car manufacturers achieved a total turnover of over two trillion euros last year. According to the analysis, this was 13.7 percent more than in 2022. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose by a good 15 percent and reached around 176 billion euros./jwe/DP/zb