Bottlenecks in semiconductors and logistics dampened sales at car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz last year.

Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars delivered 2.04 million vehicles, one percent fewer than in the previous year, as the company announced on Tuesday. Growth in Europe and North America could not compensate for weak development in China, the world's largest car market. Meanwhile, the smaller Mercedes-Benz Vans division increased sales by four percent to around 411,000 units despite the problems with parts supply and delivery.

The Stuttgart-based car manufacturer made progress with the sale of electric cars. Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars delivered almost 118,000 cars, more than twice as many as in the previous year. Customers of vans and vans are switching more slowly from combustion models to electric vehicles - sales of the electric versions of the Vito or Sprinter rose by 15 percent to 14,700 units.

(Report by Ilona Wissenbach. Edited by Olaf Brenner. If you have any queries, please contact the editorial team at frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)