BMW Group reports best October sales ever

[Zafiro]

09.11.2010
* BMW brand volumes up 12.4%
* Strong demand for MINI Countryman
* BMW 7 Series beats previous models’ sales record

Munich. BMW Group sales recorded double-digit growth once again in October. With 128,593 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles sold worldwide (+11.6%, prev. yr. 115,278 units), the BMW Group achieved its best-ever October sales result. A total of 1,190,796 (prev. yr. 1,054,841) vehicles have been delivered to customers since the start of the year – an increase of 12.9% compared with the first ten months of the previous year.

“Our new models, like the BMW X1, the BMW 5 Series Sedan, the BMW 5 Series Touring and the MINI Countryman, continued to report strong gains in October and made a positive contribution to our sales performance,” said Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing. “New orders have been strong for all of these models, and based on the steady recovery of many markets, we continue to expect double-digit sales growth through the end of the year.”

The BMW brand sold 107,789 (prev. yr. 95,867) vehicles in October and grew at a rate of 12.4% year-on-year. More than one million BMW vehicles have been delivered to customers (1,000,514 units, +14.6%) since January 2010. October sales were largely driven by the continued strong growth in sales of the 5 Series (+54.8% to 23,810 units compared to October 2009); the 5 Series GT (2,480 units); and the new X1, which was delivered to 10,162 customers last month.

The other members of the X family also remained on course for success. Sales of the BMW X5 increased 8.5% to 8,578 vehicles, while deliveries of the BMW X6 were 11.7% higher at 3,827 units.

The BMW 7 Series beat the previous model’s sales record in October: Since its market launch exactly two years ago, this luxury class model has been delivered to more than 100,000 customers – that is more than any previous 7 Series model within the first 24 months of its market launch. Sales of the BMW 7 Series have risen 36% to 51,936 vehicles since January 2010.

The MINI brand was also able to increase its sales in October: Volumes rose 6.1% to 20,525 units. The MINI Countryman – newly introduced in September – played a significant part in this development. With 3,525 units sold in October, it already accounted for almost a fifth of all MINI sales. The company delivered a total of 188,275 MINI brand vehicles to customers in the first ten months of the year (+4% year-on-year).

Robertson: “The MINI Countryman is well on its way to becoming a highly successful model. Demand is stronger than our already optimistic plans. This model will launch according to plan in other key export markets, such as the US, over the next few weeks and further contribute to the positive sales performance of the MINI brand over the coming months.”

The BMW Group once again increased its sales volumes in its largest markets of Germany, the US and China in the month under review. In Germany, new vehicle registrations increased by 4.8% to 23,220 vehicles. In an overall market that has shrunk by 27% since the start of the year, the BMW Group expanded its market share by 2.4 percentage points over the same period to reach 9%.

The BMW Group also continued on its growth track in the US despite the economic uncertainties in North America. In October, BMW Group retail volumes climbed 12.6% to 23,222 units. In the year to the end of October, sales of the BMW and MINI brands increased 7.7% to 215,274 vehicles. The BMW Group’s third-largest market, China, also remained a strong driving force behind the company’s growth in October. Sales to customers in the People’s Republic leapt 43.7% to reach 13,738 units. After the first ten months of the year, sales totalled 135,564 vehicles – an increase of 88.4% over the previous year.

The Rolls-Royce brand’s strong growth continued in October: With 279 deliveries, sales quadrupled year-on-year (+298.6%, prev. yr. 70 units). Since the start of the year, deliveries to customers have climbed to 2,007 vehicles (+278%, prev. yr. 531).

BMW Motorrad delivered 6,845 motorcycles to customers worldwide in October, exceeding the already strong sales result of the previous October by 1.7%. In the year to the end of October, deliveries rose to 88,353 motorcycles (prev. yr. 76,443). This represents an increase of 15.6% over the previous year. BMW Motorrad presented a large number of new models at the autumn shows in Cologne and Milan and is expanding its attractive range of models for the 2011 motorcycle season with its first six-cylinder touring bikes, the K 1600 GT and the K 1600 GTL; the two Boxer models, R 1200 R and R 1200 R Classic; and the G 650 GS, the new BMW one-cylinder entry-level model.

 

[PanterroR]

* BMW brand volumes up 12.4%

Lovely...

* Strong demand for MINI Countryman

Nice, but i don't care...

* BMW 7 Series beats previous models’ sales record.

Hehe, that's nice to hear and know...

 

[Dave1984]

AUDI AG: Record sales in sight

AUDI AG set a sales target for this year of 1,080,000 cars – and the sales figures for the first ten months have brought that target within reach.

With growth of 16.4 percent, the company delivered around 916,900 cars to customers around the world between January and October. About 87,600 units were sold in October alone.

In the coming months, the new Audi A1 and A7 models in particular are expected to help drive sales. Peter Schwarzenbauer, AUDI AG Board Member for Marketing and Sales: “With the A7 Sportback and the A8, we want to gain significant market share in the premium class. We will double our share of the segment in the United States alone.” The A7 Sportback reached the first European dealerships in the last days of October; about 200,000 units of the first generation of the model are to be sold. The company estimates that approximately two-thirds of the car’s drivers will be new customers for Audi.

In Audi’s home market in Germany, sales figures were up slightly in October by 0.8 percent compared to the previous month, with 22,205 units sold. Thanks to a high order intake, the company expects a boost in the next few months, due in part to the newly introduced models, but also to a high demand for the Audi A5 and Audi A6 series. Schwarzenbauer: “We’re currently experiencing an all-time high backlog of orders in Germany.”
In Western Europe, the brand with the four rings sold about 50,300 cars in October (-0.8 percent). From January to October, sales of Audi cars here rose to around 515,000 units, 3.7 percent higher than for the same period last year.

In the United States, Audi gained another 10.5 percent in October. Cumulatively, 81,718 premium cars from the Ingolstadt-based company have been sold here since January. For the full year, Audi of America aims to exceed 100,000 cars sold for the first time for the brand.
In China Audi sold 17,153 cars in October alone; over the first ten months, 192,060 were sold, an increase of 55.7 percent compared to the same period in 2009. In the entire Asia-Pacific region, Audi sold around 233,500 cars between January and October, an increase of 49.3 percent.


Mercedes-Benz Again Records Double-digit Growth, Sales Up 14 Percent in October

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Stuttgart, Nov 05, 2010

* Dr. Joachim Schmidt: “We got the fourth quarter off to a successful start with a strong increase in sales. October marked the twelfth time in a row that we were able to record double-digit sales growth. Our success in Germany played a major role in this development. Worldwide, we want sales of Mercedes-Benz to record at least ten percent growth for 2010.”
* Sales boost in Germany: increase of 14 percent, with 11,1 percent highest market share since October 2008
* Record sales in China and strong increases in the other BRIC countries
* Mercedes-Benz increased sales in all product segments: sustained high demand for the E-Class and S-Class, new R-Class and CL-Class with high growth rates

Worldwide demand for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars continues to increase, with 100,500 units sold in October (October 2009: 88,400). Deliveries once again showed double-digit growth, with a gain of 14 percent. This means that Mercedes-Benz also recorded strong growth last month compared to the prior year, even though sales had grown again in October 2009 for the first time following the crisis, particularly in the United States. A total of 954,400 Mercedes-Benz brand vehicles have been delivered to customers since the beginning of this year, up 16 percent over the figure for January to October 2009 (826,000 units).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “We got the fourth quarter off to a successful start with a strong increase in sales. October marked the twelfth time in a row that we were able to record double-digit sales growth. Our success in Germany played a major role in this development. We attained a market share of 11.1 percent here, representing the highest level since October 2008. Worldwide, we want sales of Mercedes-Benz to record at least ten percent growth for 2010.”This is based on rising demand in the markets of Asia and the BRIC countries, the growth of Mercedes-Benz in the U.S., and attractive new products. The new generation of the R-Class and the CL, for instance, were well received by the customers in October: sales of the R-Class doubled compared to October 2009 and the CL-Class recorded double-digit growth.

Mercedes-Benz was successful in all regions in October. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz bucked the downward trend of the overall market (minus 20 percent) by increasing sales by 14 percent to 27,000 units (October 2009: 23,600). Mercedes-Benz thus gained more market share than any other premium automaker and clearly remains the strongest premium manufacturer in its home market. A total of five models were number one in their segment in the new car registration statistics from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA): the S-Class, the E-Class coupe, the C-Class, the B-Class and the smart fortwo. In Western Europe, sales of Mercedes-Benz increased by three percent in October to 48,900 units (October 2009: 47,500). Mercedes-Benz succeeded in performing better than the total market for example in France, UK, Italy and Spain.
In China (including Hong Kong), Mercedes-Benz once again set a new sales record of 13,500 passenger vehicles (October 2009: 6,600), thus doubling its last-year result (up 105 percent). Growth since January is now at 122 percent. Mercedes-Benz continues to grow faster in China than its competitors in the premium segment. Mercedes-Benz is also picking up the pace in the other Asian markets, such as South Korea (up 42 percent), Australia (up 20 percent), and Taiwan (up 38 percent). Very high growth rates were also recorded in all of the other BRIC countries: Brazil (up 88 percent), Russia (up 58 percent), and India (up 65 percent).
Despite the high sales volume in October 2009, deliveries in the U.S. were up slightly last month (18,400 versus 18,200). A total of 178,100 passenger vehicles have been handed over to customers in the U.S. since the beginning of the year, 16 percent more than in the same period last year (January-October 2009: 153,600). Mercedes-Benz thus remains the German premium brand with the highest sales volume in its second-largest market since the start of the year. Mercedes-Benz also enjoyed another record month in Canada, where sales rose to 2,200 passenger vehicles.

From compact cars to SUVs, Mercedes-Benz grew in all product segments in October. Sales of the S-Class sedan rose by 28 percent to 6,000 units, and retained the top position in its segment from January to October despite new models from the competition. The growth amounts to 29 percent since the start of the year. The new generation of the CL is also being very well received by the market, with sales up by 13 percent. The E-Class continues to be very popular as well, with the sedan and the estate leading their respective segments since January. Customer deliveries totaled 20,800 units, an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. Deliveries were up 52 percent in the first nine months of the year. The C-Class sedan also maintained market leadership from January to October and recorded a gain of 16 percent last month. The estate set a new record, sales were up 21 percent. Mercedes-Benz also set a new record for SUV sales, with 18,400 customers (up 22 percent) choosing a model from this segment in October. All model ranges recorded growing sales numbers: the GLK (up 27 percent), the M-Class (up seven percent), the R-Class (up 100 percent), the GL (up 28 percent), and the G-Class (up eleven percent). Sales of the A-Class and B-Class increased four percent over the previous year to 19,700 units.

A total of 7,900 smart fortwo were handed over to customers last month (October 2009: 9,300, minus 15 percent). Sales of the smart fortwo are being affected by strong declines in its market segment, particularly in the large smart markets of Italy, Germany, France and Spain. Nevertheless, the smart succeeded in gaining market share in many markets since the beginning of the year, including Germany and Italy. In Germany, October marked the eighth time in a row that the smart fortwo was the best-selling small car in its segment, which declined by 42 percent overall. The company expects to sell around 100,000 units of the smart fortwo in 2010.

Overview of sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

October 2010 % change Jan.-Oct. 2010 % change
Mercedes-Benz 100,500 +13.6 954,400 +15.5
smart 7,900 -15.4 82,800 -14.9
Mercedes-Benz Cars 108,400 +10.9 1,037,200 +12.3

Mercedes-Benz sales by market

Western Europe 48,900 +3.0 460,600 +0.9
- of which Germany 27,000 +14.4 216,000 -2.1
NAFTA 21,000 +1.4 205,100 +15.4
- of which U.S. 18,400 +0.9 178,100 +15.9
Asia/Pacific 21,800 +58.0 212,200 +65.4
- of which Japan 1,400 -10.2 25,200 +11.2
- of which China 13,500 +104.8 115,500 +122.1