Global sales: August 2009 : Audi, BMW, MB

[EnI]

Audi: 65,900 (-2.7%) ... YTD 616,850 (-7.5%)


BMW: 75,689 (-11.3%) ... YTD 679,893 (-18.0%)
MINI: 16,064 (-1.2%) ... YTD 136,879 (-15.7%)
Rolls-Royce: 37 (-63.4%) ... YTD 411 (-41.1%)
BMW Group Automobiles: 91,790 (-9.7%) ... YTD 817,183 (-17.7%)


Mercedes-Benz: 66,200 (-12.0%) ... YTD 632,700 (-17.5%)
smart: 7,000 (-23.8%) ... YTD ... 78,600 (-13.2%)
MB Cars (MB + smart): 73,200 (-13.2%) ... YTD 711,300 (-17.1%)

 

[EnI]

AUDI AG: Strong sales growth in the United States; most successful premium brand in Western Europe

Sales figures for AUDI AG rose sharply in August in both North America and the region Asian-Pacific. In Europe, the Audi brand once again strengthened its position and remained Western Europe’s most successful premium brand over the first eight months of the year. Worldwide, AUDI AG sold around 65,900 premium cars in August – down just 2.7 percent on the same month last year (2008: 67,723). Form January until August, sales figures were 7.5 percent lower than the previous year, with around 616,850 cars sold.
“We set ourselves a sales target of 900,000 cars this year, thus achieving a better trend than the overall market,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “This target we are certain to reach, and we will emerge from this crisis as the strongest premium brand.”
Audi’s strong position in the region Asian-Pacific has proven crucial to the success of the company. Sales figures in August for the entire region rose by 33 percent to about 16,500 cars (2008: 12,412); over the first eight months, Audi delivered a cumulative total of about 119,000 cars – a 15.2 percent increase (2008: 103,336). Audi achieved significant growth in Australia (1,018 cars, up 35.6 percent), Japan (1,015 cars, up 7.1 percent) and South Korea (490 cars, up 26 percent). In China alone (including Hong Kong), where Audi has led the premium market for the past 21 years, the company sold 13,345 cars in August, a 35.4 percent increase (2008: 9,853). Over the first eight months of the year, the Ingolstadt-based company sold 93,610 cars in China, 17.4 percent more than in the same period last year. According to Peter Schwarzenbauer, the company aims to achieve total-year sales in China of more than 130,000 cars for the first time.
Sales figures for AUDI AG in August also went up significantly in the United States. Despite continuing tension on the US market, Audi achieved its second-best results for August in the history of Audi of America: 8,057 customers chose a model from Ingolstadt during the past month – 25.8 percent more than in the same month last year (2008: 6,406). This made Audi the premium brand with the strongest performance on the US market in August. Cumulatively, Audi’s sales figures are now at 10.2 percent below those for last year in the US, at 52,309 cars (2008: 58,233). With this result, Audi is right on track to achieve its 2009 target in the United States as well.
“The right models, significant investments in the dealership network, focused marketing activities – we put everything into boosting our brand’s potential in the United States last year,” Schwarzenbauer said. “Now this is paying off in significant gains in market share, in better brand awareness and image levels, and in healthy, profitable sales growth.”
Over the first eight months, Audi increased its share of the US premium market (Import High Group) to 8.2 percent (2008: 6.5 percent). The Audi Q5 and Audi A5 proved especially successful; sales figures for the A4 Cabriolet doubled from the previous year’s level.
In Germany, Audi was recently voted to be the most attractive car brand on the market – the result of a representative survey by the GfK Institute. Customer affinity for the brand was reflected in correspondingly strong new-car registrations in the first eight months of the year. With 161,088 cars registered, the figures were just 1.2 percent below the record levels of 2008 (2008: 163,150 cars), and developed significantly better than those of competing premium brands. Due to extended vacations at the German plants in August, Audi produced considerably fewer cars in August than in the same period last year. As a result, new-car registrations in Germany were 16.3 percent below those of August 2008 (15,064 cars; 2008: 17,995 cars).
Deliveries to European countries outside Germany were also affected by the lower production levels, remaining 13.6 percent behind the same month last year, with about 22,850 cars delivered (2008: 26,441 cars). Over the first eight months, sales levels were 15 percent behind those of the previous year (2008: 307,531 cars) with about 261,350 cars sold. Still, Audi experienced better growth than its competitors in critical markets. The company gained important market share between January and August in Great Britain, Spain and Italy – and confirmed its position as Western Europe’s strongest premium brand.

 

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BMW Group: Sales continue to recover in August

• 08.09.2009
• Press Release

Munich. The BMW Group sold 91,790 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles worldwide in August. The decline in sales slowed for the fifth consecutive month (prev.yr. 101,679 / -9.7%). Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing: “We are heading in the right direction – since April we have continually regained ground month-on-month. In August the trend continued.
I am cautiously optimistic that we will be back on our growth path in the months ahead and will remain the leading international supplier of premium automobiles this year, even though we will not sell as many cars in total in 2009 as in 2008.”

BMW brand sales were 11.3% lower in August at 75,689 (prev.yr. 85,321) units. MINI sold 16,064 vehicles (prev.yr. 16,257 / -1.2%), while Rolls-Royce delivered 37 automobiles (prev.yr. 101 / -63.4%). Despite difficult market conditions, several BMW and MINI models made major gains: The BMW 7 Series grew by 21.0% (4,004 units/ prev.yr. 3,309) in the month under review, making it the clear global market leader in the luxury sedan segment. The BMW Z4 and BMW X6 models also remained on their growth path. A total of 2,469 (prev.yr. 1,264 / +95.3%) customers purchased the BMW Z4 – which is market leader in the roadster segment – in August. The BMW X6 made gains of 11.9% to reach a total of 3,049 (prev.yr. 2,724 / +11.9%) deliveries in August. Considerably more customers bought the MINI Convertible, with 2,507 units sold (prev.yr. 1,612 / +55.5%), and the MINI One (Hatch and Clubman versions), with 2,746 sales (prev.yr. 1,417 / +93.8%), than in August of the previous year.

Between January and August the BMW Group delivered 817,183 (prev.yr. 992,341 / -17.7%) automobiles worldwide. BMW sold 679,893 (prev.yr. 829,346 / -18.0%) units. Sales of the MINI brand for the year to the end of August were down 15.7% (136,879 units/ prev.yr. 162,297). The Rolls-Royce brand reported a decline in sales of 41.1% (411 units / prev.yr. 630) over the same period.

The BMW Group performed considerably better in its largest retail market, Germany. New registrations increased 3.5% to reach a total of 18,570 (prev.yr. 17,942). BMW brand sales were 1.1% (15,840 units/ prev.yr. 15,672) higher, while MINI reported gains of 20.3% (2,730 units/ prev.yr. 2,270) in Germany.

The Chinese market continued its dynamic growth as BMW Group sales climbed 63.2% (9,013 / prev.yr. 5,523) in August. Not only the compact and mid-sized BMW model series made substantial gains – the BMW 5 Series (2,768 / +70.0 %), the new BMW 7 Series (1,131 / +32.9%) and the BMW X5 (959 / +16.7%) and X6 (826 / +1,552.0%) models proved particularly popular in China. With sales of 354 vehicles, MINI also posted an increase of 61.6%. The BMW 5 Series, with 16,859 units sold (+33.6%), and the BMW 3 Series, with a total of 12,876 units (+7.3%), were the best-selling model series in China for the year to the end of August.

BMW Group sales also performed extremely well last month in Japan (2,859 / +9.5%), South Africa (1,786 / +6.0%) and Australia (1,436 / +1.3%). The BMW Group reported further growth in the Netherlands (1,485 / +25.4%), in Austria (1,093 / +19.8%), Canada (2,749 / +14.2%), Brazil (587 / +134.8%), New Zealand (115 / +59.7%), India (297 / +12.1%) and in South Korea (822 / +22.1%).

 

[EnI]

Mercedes-Benz Cars Sells 73,200 Vehicles in August

Stuttgart, Sep 08, 2009

E-Class sedan defends market leadership worldwide - Mercedes-Benz presents new E-Class station wagon at IAA
S-Class posts substantial sales increase in Western Europe
Mercedes-Benz Cars once again sets new sales record in China

Stuttgart - In August, Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 73,200 Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach brand vehicles to customers worldwide (August 2008: 84,400, minus 13 percent). Mercedes-Benz sold 66,200 passenger vehicles in August (August 2008: 75,200, minus 12 percent). The smart brand meanwhile sold 7,000 units in August (August 2008: 9,200, minus 24 percent). The decrease in August was largely a result of the company wide summer break at German locations, leading to fewer vehicles being delivered as part of the employee sales business compared to previous months. Mercedes-Benz Cars sales received a boost in August from the dynamic growth in the Asia/Pacific region, especially in China, as well as from the new E-Class and the new generation of the S-Class. In addition, sales recovered slightly in the U.S., compared to previous months.
Says Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars: “We expect sales to be on a higher level in the coming months, in part because of the new E-Class station wagon, which we will present this month at the IAA in order to build on the successful launch of the sedan.” The sedan once again defended its market leadership worldwide in August. “We also expect sales to receive a further boost from the new generation of the S-Class, which has met with a great customer response. In August we also introduced the vehicle in China, which is meanwhile the world’s biggest market for the S-Class.” In addition to doing well in Germany, the S-Class posted a substantial sales increase in Western Europe as a whole in August, even though the model has not yet been introduced in the UK. In August, sales of the S-Class rose by 22 percent in Western Europe.
In the Asia/Pacific region, Mercedes-Benz Cars delivered 13,400 passenger vehicles in August (August 2008: 11,500). Sales thus reached an all-time high and increased by 17 percent. Mercedes-Benz Cars continues to grow rapidly in China, posting another sales record in August. Total sales in the country rose by 52 percent to 6,400 vehicles (August 2008: 4,200). In the emerging market of Brazil, sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars have risen by 66 percent since the beginning of the year, to 3,700 units (January-August 2008: 2,200).
In Western Europe, Mercedes-Benz Cars posted sales increases in various countries, including the UK, and gained market shares. At 1,800 units, passenger vehicle sales were slightly higher in the UK than in the same month last year. Mercedes-Benz Cars sold 1,500 vehicles in Belgium (August 2008: 1,400), representing an increase of four percent. In August, the division also increased its sales in Austria and Greece.
In the U.S., August was the best month of the current year for the Mercedes-Benz brand, with sales of 17,100 passenger vehicles (August 2008: 18,500, minus eight percent). Mercedes-Benz has been able to gain market shares in the U.S. since the beginning of the year. Sales benefited from the launch of the new E-Class as well as from the GLK, which was once again the best-selling vehicle in its class in August. Sales of Mercedes-Benz in Canada were at a record level of 2,000 passenger vehicles (August 2008: 1,700), representing an increase of 20 percent.

 

[EnI]

Interesting ...

Chinese market sales figures ... August 2009:

Audi: 13,345 (+35.4%) ... YTD 93,610 (+17.4%)
BMW: 8,660 (+57.8%) ... YTD N/A
MB: 6,400 (+52.4%) ... YTD 39,600 (+41.4%)

 

[Human]

And in the end BMW is still the NO.1 Premium Luxury Carmaker in the world

With new products i.e. the X1, Upcoming 5er and Mini Coupe, Rolls-Royce Ghost...things are looking to continue UPWARDS for BMW and the BMW Group

 

[Mr Robert]

BMW would have sold more CSL cars than they sold Rolls

Chinese market is looking about as strong as anyone could ever have guessed. Many of the European luxury manufacturers should thank their lucky star for the People's Republic.

 

[ACE]

And in the end BMW is still the NO.1 Premium Luxury Carmaker in the world

With new products i.e. the X1, Upcoming 5er and Mini Coupe, Rolls-Royce Ghost...things are looking to continue UPWARDS for BMW and the BMW Group

Not for long... Audi's upward trajectory has been steeper for a long time. When the Audi A1 goes on sale, Audi will move to number 1 in terms of sales.