Mercedes and BMW shorten Christmas break to cope with demand

The end of the year is normally a slow phase for international car companies, but not for Mercedes and BMW. The German brands are facing growing demand and has forced the brands to postpone their holiday shutdowns.

Last year saw Mercedes and BMW shut up shop for three weeks, however, that won’t happen this year. The executive car market has bounced back drastically, leaving ample orders to fill.

Through the first 10 months of 2010, BMW (counting MINI and Rolls-Royce) has seen its global sales boost 13% to 1.19 million vehicles. During that same period, Mercedes sales have increased 12% to 1.04 million units.

“Production capacity is the limiting factor at the moment,” Michael Rebstock, a spokesman for BMW said. “We are producing as much as we can and are happy for every additional shift we can get.”

Both car firms will schedule two short breaks over the Christmas and the New Year’s for maintenance and restocking.