Mercedes opens its first EV-only dealership in the world in Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz's first dealership in the world dedicated to its all-electric Mercedes-EQ brand opened in Yokohama, south of the Japanese capital on Tuesday, the German automaker's local unit said.

Mercedes-Benz has rolled out five electric models since 2019 and "sees further growth in the electric vehicle market in Japan," it said in a statement.

Battery EVs have been slow to catch on in Japan, where domestic makers dominate the market. But foreign brands sold a record 2,357 EVs in November, surpassing a tenth of total imported car sales for the first time, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA).

Across all car types, Mercedes-Benz sold 51,722 cars in Japan last year, making it the top-selling foreign vehicle brand, JAIA data shows.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Simon Cameron-Moore)