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Mercedes-importers T. Gargour & Fils were not spared the economic winter that beset the first half of 2005. The company had expected it to be a bumper year with sales hitting 500 units but instead witnessed a 5% drop on 2004, when the company sold 437 units. The good news is that, although unit sales dipped, revenue rose by around 15% – or $8 million – from $52 million to $60 million because Gargour & Fils were able to sell higher bracket models, in particular the new S-Class.“Last year, we sold a lot of the most expensive model, the S-Class, which was introduced in September 2005,” said Gargour & Fils Deputy General-Manager Joseph Zoghbi. By the end of the year, Gargour had sold over 75 units of the flagship model, which in Lebanon sells for between $130,000 and $200,000. Marketing-wise, Gargour went all out on the year-saving S-Class. “We invited