"November was a strong month. December it looks like a growth month as well... We don't see any negative impact in our showroom, just the opposite," Zetsche told reporters at the Detroit Auto Show.

"We have very strong momentum. We are cautiously optimistic that momentum that we have built in the past years will continue," Zetsche said about China demand.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)