Record-breaking Mercedes "on a roll" in the U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz expects to sell a record number of vehicles this year in the United States, a crucial growth market now that demand for the brand in China has tailed off sharply.

A rejuvenated model range led by the next-generation S-Class flagship sedan and the new CLA compact four-door coupe, both of which debut around September, should lift volumes to an all time high in 2013, according to a Mercedes executive.

"This brand is absolutely on a roll here in the United States. The issues we might be dealing with in Europe with recession and with China really have absolutely no spillover here," said Stephen Cannon, president of Mercedes-Benz USA, in a Tuesday interview prior to next week's auto show in Detroit.

His sales region leapfrogged Germany last year to become the brand's single biggest market. Mercedes meanwhile saw its sales in China drop nearly 19 percent in December, leaving annual volumes largely stagnant.

(Reporting By Christiaan Hetzner; Editing by Matt Driskill)