Global Sales : September 2012 : Audi, BMW, MB

[EnI]

BMW: 146,843 (+14.3%) ... YTD 1,109,962 (+8.6%)
MINI: 30,562 (+0.6%) ... YTD 223,214 (+7.2%)
Rolls-Royce: ??? ??? ... YTD 2,326 (-4.7%)
BMW Group Automobiles: 177,716 (+11.6%) ... YTD 1,335,502 (+8.3%)

MB: 123,358 (+2.0%) ... YTD 964,926 (+5.0%)
smart: 9,248 (+8.9%)... YTD 78,984 (+1.8%)
MB + smart: 132,606 (+2.4%) ... YTD 1,043,910 (+4.7%)

Audi: 136,600 (+13.6%) ... YTD 1,097,500 (+12.8%)

 

[EnI]

BMW Group reports highest ever September sales
09.10.2012

• 177,716 vehicles sold in September, an increase of 11.6%
• BMW brand worldwide sales climb by 14.3%
• Robertson: Well on course to achieve new sales record in 2012

Munich. The BMW Group experienced growth in many regions around the world in September and achieved another record month in sales. With 177,716 (prev. yr. 159,223) BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles delivered worldwide, sales were 11.6% higher than in the same month last year. It was also the best first nine months for the company, with sales up 8.3% compared to the same period last year. A total of 1,335,502 BMW Group vehicles were delivered during this time (prev. yr. 1,232,619).

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW: “We made solid gains in many of our markets last month and were once again able to achieve record sales in September, despite the difficult environment in some European countries. Our models continue to perform well and we expect to see further healthy growth in worldwide sales in the fourth quarter. We are well on course to achieving a new sales record for the whole year.”

BMW brand worldwide sales climbed by 14.3% to 146,843 vehicles in the month under review (prev. yr. 128,450). Demand for the BMW 1 Series was strong with 23,583 vehicles sold last month, an increase of 51.1% on the previous year (15,606). Over 150.000 units of the second generation BMW 1 Series 5-Door Hatch have been delivered to customers since its launch in mid-September last year. The BMW 3 Series achieved sales of 39,302 vehicles last month (prev. yr. 35,842/ +9.7%). Sales for the BMW 5 Series climbed 7.9% to 29,996 vehicles (prev. yr. 27,804). The BMW 6 Series more than tripled its sales with 2,426 vehicles delivered last month (prev. yr. 752/ +222.6%). The BMW X1 performed strongly with 16,661 units sold in September, an increase of 32.9% (prev. yr. 12,536). Sales of the BMW X3 continued to be strong, climbing 20.0% to 13,616 vehicles (prev. yr. 11,346). Year-to-date, the brand BMW has delivered 1,109,962 vehicles, an increase of 8.6% over the previous year (1,021,955).

MINI posted its best ever September sales with 30,562 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 30,392/ +0.6%). The brand has also had its most successful first nine months ever - in the period up to and including September, MINI sold 223,214 vehicles, an increase of 7.2% in worldwide sales compared to the same period last year (208,223). Last month at the Paris Auto Salon, the company unveiled the MINI Paceman. The MINI Paceman is the world’s first Sports Activity Coupe in the premium compact segment and it expands the brand’s portfolio to seven models. The MINI Paceman is expected to provide further momentum for MINI when it arrives in the first half of 2013.

Demand for Rolls-Royce motor cars remained steady with a small decrease of 4.7% year-to-date compared to 2011. The worldwide market introduction of Phantom Series II in September and the potential for seasonally strong fourth quarter sales causes Rolls-Royce to remain confident of another strong annual result.

Markets:
The BMW Group reported solid gains in many markets last month and increased retail volumes in its three largest markets, China, the US and Germany.

In Europe, BMW Group sales grew last month by 4.8% to 92,442 vehicles (prev. yr. 88,243). In the first nine months, BMW Group sales were slightly above last year’s level, with a total of 639,798 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 635,013/ +0.8%).
In Germany, BMW and MINI were the only premium brands to make gains in September. A total of 26,021 new BMW and MINI vehicles were registered in September (prev. yr. 23,799/ +9.3%). The BMW brand accounted for 22,009 registrations (prev. yr. 20,042/ +9.8%) and MINI for 4,012 registrations (prev. yr. 3,757/ +6.8%). Year-to-date, 211,870 BMW and MINI vehicles have been registered in Germany (prev. yr. 220,054/ -3.7%).
BMW Group sales in Russia climbed 48.5% in the month under review to 3,985 vehicles (prev. yr. 2,683). Year-to-date, 28,084 vehicles have been delivered in Russia, an increase of 32.9% over the previous year (21,133).

In Asia, sales surged by 40.0% in September to 45,781 vehicles (prev. yr. 32,708). The BMW Group made strong gains in Asia in the first nine months of the year, with sales climbing 27.2% to 357,841 vehicles (prev. yr. 281,223).
The company achieved exceptionally high growth in Mainland China, which accounted for 29,631 deliveries in September, an increase of 59.4% over the same month in the previous year (18,588). Year-to-date, 237,056 BMW and MINI vehicles have been sold in Mainland China (prev. yr. 177,522) which reflects an increase of 33.5%.
The BMW Group posted solid gains in other Asian markets in the first nine months of the year, including Japan (41,973/ +21.5%) and South Korea (24,541/ +18.5%)

In the Americas, the BMW Group delivered 34,050 vehicles in September (prev. yr. 32,772/ +3.9%). Since the beginning of the year, 290,888 vehicles were delivered to customers in the Americas, which reflected an increase of +6.3% on the previous year (273,564).
The BMW Group in the U.S. reported September sales of 26,660 vehicles (prev. yr. 25,749/ +3.5%). Year-to-date, the BMW Group is up 7.1% on sales of 234,928 vehicles in the first nine months of 2012 compared to 219,314 in the same period in 2011.

 

[EnI]

Oct 8, 2012

AUDI AG: double-digit sales growth continues in September

Audi sales figures continue to rise at a double-digit rate: In September the company delivered around 136,600 automobiles to customers worldwide. This represents an increase of 13.6 percent. In the first three quarters, around 1,097,500 customers chose a model with the four rings – 12.8 percent more than in the prior-year period. The past month saw the company benefit from continuing strong growth in the United States (+26.5%) and China (+20.5%). Furthermore, AUDI AG yet again grew in Europe, despite the difficult market conditions in some parts of the region – sales were up 7.4 percent on the corresponding month of 2011. As a result, September saw the Ingolstadt-based company maintain its sales growth in all regions of the world.

“This year we reached the tally of one million cars sold after just nine months – clear evidence that we are realizing our strategic goals in the right way,” commented Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “We are seeing our new models succeed in the marketplace, reflecting the tastes of customers,” continued de Meo.

Especially models such as the A1 Sportback, the Q3 and the A6 Avant contributed to growth of 7.4 percent in Europe compared with the same month of the previous year. Audi thus maintained its pattern of growth in the home market of Germany in September, posting sales growth of 3.5 percent (20,712 units). Cumulatively, unit sales in Germany after the first nine months of the year have now reached 198,777 automobiles delivered (+7.4%). The second-largest European market for Audi also reported a clear jump in sales last month: Its sales total in the United Kingdom increased by 20 percent to 22,389 units.

The dynamic growth of recent months continued in Russia, where the four rings ended the month up 57.3 percent on the corresponding period of 2011. From January through September, 25,442 Russian customers took receipt of the keys to a new Audi, 42.9 percent more than in the equivalent period of 2011. Growth in Russia was driven by the range of SUV models available from the Ingolstadt carmaker. For example the Q3 – which has not yet been on the market for a full year – is already the country’s best-selling Audi model, closely followed by the Audi Q5.

Audi of America added a further chapter to its success story in September with yet another record month. In the United States the company sold 26.5 percent more vehicles than in the corresponding month of the previous year. Its performance owed much to the steady growth of the new-generation A4 and A5, and to the swift progress made by the Q7. Almost twice as many customers as in September 2011 chose to buy this full-size SUV model (+94.6%). With 100,694 cars sold in the year to date, this is the first time ever that Audi of America has exceeded the 100,000 mark by the end of the third quarter – in 2011 it did not reach that point until into November. The successful C and D-segment models from the Ingolstadt carmaker are instrumental in this success, representing 31.3 percent of the company’s deliveries in the United States in the nine-month period.

The SUV and full-size models also put in a strong performance in China. Unit sales there continued to climb, and the delivery total of 35,512 for September was up 20.5 percent on the same month of 2011. Cumulatively, Audi increased its sales there to 297,060 automobiles, representing a growth rate of 31.4 percent. The most popular model with customers remained the locally built A6 L, of which some 96,100 were sold.

In the Asia-Pacific region Audi also enjoyed considerable growth in India in the past month. Demand for models with the four rings was up 82.2 percent there. With a total of 6,423 cars delivered in the first three quarters of the year, Audi already exceeded the record sales total for the whole of 2011 (5,511 units) by the end of September.

 

[EnI]

Mercedes-Benz posts sales records in September and Q3 2012

Stuttgart, Oct 04, 2012

• “Despite numerous model changeovers and the difficult market environment in Southern Europe, we sold more vehicles than ever before in September and in the third quarter.”
• “Thus we are still on track to achieve a new sales record for the year as a whole. We expect further momentum in the fourth quarter, especially from our new models.”
• Sales are up again in Western Europe; strong growth particularly in UK
• Mercedes-Benz is the premium brand with the highest number of new vehicle registrations in the U.S. and Germany in 2012
• New models in high demand: B-Class, M-Class and GLK all post record sales in September

Stuttgart – Mercedes-Benz has achieved a new sales record, both for the month of September and for the third quarter. The 123,358 units delivered during the month topped the September 2011 record by 2.0%.

In total, the company sold 312,001 units in the third quarter (+1.1%). At 964,926 vehicles (+5%) delivered, sales of the brand were likewise at a new record high for the year to date.
The Mercedes-Benz Cars division also set new sales records for September and the year to date. The company sold 132,606 (+2.4%) Mercedes-Benz, smart and Maybach brand vehicles during the month. Total sales for the first three quarters of 2012 marked a +4.7% increase over the record volume achieved in the same period last year (1,043,910 u.).

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars: “Despite numerous model changeovers and the difficult market environment in Southern Europe, we sold more vehicles than ever before in September and the third quarter. Thus we are still on track to achieve a new sales record for the year as a whole. We expect further momentum in the fourth quarter, especially from our new models. In particular, the response to our new A-Class has been excellent and we already have about 70,000 orders. Our facelifted GLK and the new M-Class and B-Class are also extremely popular.”

Mercedes-Benz continues to be the premium brand with the highest unit sales in the U.S. in 2012. Also in September, the U.S. market was one of the key drivers behind Mercedes-Benz’ positive performance. In total, 23,156 vehicles were delivered to their new owners (+7.0%). Thus, the sales posted for the month of September and the year to date (191,618 u., +12.7%) were the company’s highest ever on the U.S. market. The same applies to Mexico and Canada.

Besides the countries of the NAFTA region, the brand with the star also set new sales records for September and the first three quarters of 2012 in China (incl. Hong Kong) and Russia.

Mercedes-Benz’ September sales in China amounted to16,806 units (+10.0%), raising the total number of passenger vehicles delivered since January to 144.530 units (+6.7%). In Russia, the company grew its year-to-date sales by around 25%.

The brand with the star continued to post extremely positive results in Japan and the Middle East region, where sales surged by 24.5% and 19.9% in the first nine months of the year. For the Middle East region, with a sales increase of 31.7%, September even was the best-selling month ever.

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz’ year-to-date sales are on previous year’s level (190,758 u., +0.4%). In mid-September, the new A-Class celebrated its European market launch. With 700,000 visitors, this was the most successful dealer premiere of all times. About 70,000 orders have already been placed and will be delivered successively, from now on. In September, Mercedes-Benz delivered a total of 22,566 passenger cars to the German market (prior year: 24,514 u.), the top sellers being the new B-Class and new M-Class, as well as the facelifted GLK. The GLK even had its best September sales ever in Germany.

On the Western European market (without Germany), the Mercedes-Benz brand delivered 33,929 vehicles in September (+1.6%) despite the difficult market situation in Southern Europe markets. Thus, year-to-date sales are on the previous year’s level (+0.3%). The brand’s performance in UK came as a pleasant surprise once again in September with 16,500 vehicles sold and 14.0% growth, which was a new record for this month. In France, where the 2012 Paris Motor Show was getting underway, the strong demand for the company’s models continued into September (+7.0%). A key theme of Mercedes-Benz’ presentation at this year’s Motor Show is “green mobility.” Highlights include the world premiere of the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, the world’s fastest electrically-powered, serially produced vehicle, and the new Concept B-Class Electric Drive.

While the B-Class Electric Drive will be brought to market in 2014, the new B-Class with combustion engine continued its success story in September with 14,722 new customers. This is not just a new record, it is also almost three times the sales result of September 2011 (+180.2%). Last month also marked the B-Class’ first sales milestone: Since its market launch in November 2011, more than 100,000 units of the B-Class model series have been sold. The M-Class, for its part, was able to pass the same milestone in September as well.
Vehicles in the C-Class segment also continue to be popular. Total sales since the start of the year have grown by 8.9% (312,072 u.) over the same period last year. The flagship of the brand, the S-Class sedan, has been in the top spot in its segment since the beginning of the year. In the S-Class segment, growth in year-to-date sales for 2012 amounted to +3.9% (61,294 u.). The new SL was a big hit again in September with a nearly sixfold increase in sales of the sporty roadster (+466.9%).

The high demand last month also continued for the Mercedes-Benz line of SUVs, where the sales record for the month set last year was topped by a further 30.7%. As in August, the most significant growth drivers were the facelifted models of the GLK (+48.3%) and the G-Class (+32.7%), as well as the new M-Class (+57.7%). For both, the GLK and the M-Class this was the best September of all time for sales. In addition, the M-Class was the market leader in its segment worldwide. The brand’s SUVs also set a new record for year-to-date sales with a total of 201,320 units (+15.3%).

The smart fortwo model also recorded positive growth in September. With 9,248 units delivered sales of the innovative two-seater city runabout increased by 8.9%. Particularly strong growth came again from the U.S. (+119.6%), China (incl. Hong Kong) (+18.3%), Canada (+153.9%) and Mexico (+45.3%). Year-to-date and September sales hit new records in China and Mexico.
Thus, the smart is well on its way to repeating last year’s solid sales performance with a total of 78,984 vehicles delivered to customers in the first three quarters of 2012 (+1.8%).

 

[far2000]

In particular, the response to our new A-Class has been excellent and we already have about 70,000 orders


Wow, looks like the New A will give merc a nice boost towards the end of the years, together with the new B wich is already a runaway sales hit, looks like mERC MIGHT END WELL, MAYBE EVEN TAKE 2ND SPOT from Audi..

 

[far2000]

In particular, the response to our new A-Class has been excellent and we already have about 70,000 orders


Wow, looks like the New A will give merc a nice boost towards the end of the years, together with the new B wich is already a runaway sales hit, looks like mERC MIGHT END WELL, MAYBE EVEN TAKE 2ND SPOT from Audi..

 

[EnI]

C'mon those 70,000 cars won't be delivered in a month! The production capacities are limited. Those cars will be deliver over a few months. Nothing special. And do not forget Audi have just launched A3, and A3 SB is about to be launched. I'm sure Audi also have a long waiting list for A3. Just as BMW do for 1er. Facelifted Q5 sales also just started ...in China as well, locally produced!

Btw, orders for new Mk of an existing model piling few lasts months when old Mk wasn't selling anymore are a normal thing in automotive industry. Posting such info (either MB, BMW or Audi, VW, Porsche etc) is just a PR stunt. More relevant are pre-orders for brand new models that wasn't available before (eg. 6er GranCoupe, CLS Shooting Brake, Q3, A1 etc).

No way MB will catch Audi. And with recent 3er Touring launch, xDrive 1er & 3er launch, 3dr 1er launch, cheaper low-end versions of 1er & 3er introduced, X1 LCI launch - also in in USA & China (locally produced), LCI 7er launch BMW will pull away further from Audi.

 

[K-A]

Funny how people keep talking about the economy collapsing, how my argument about M-B's highline cars selling fewer than their previous iterations could possibly signify the brands lowering its cost-average for purchases and moving downmarket hurting their "Premium" image to the point where people have less incentive to spend big-big bucks with them....

.... Yet, somehow, the automotive market keeps trucking along, and all Luxury Brands are reporting record quarters every quarter, and record months ever month....?

 

[Merc1]

Yet K/A all you have to do is look at the other things that were said in that thread, along with the fact that VW, Fiat and Mercedes have all either announced plans to reduce production and/or are bracing for dip in profits. They're talking about the European economy, not the U.S.

The CL is just an old car at this point, and again if you look at the 2007-2008 numbers and then the collapse, you would see it has nothing to do with an A-Class that isn't sold here. SL? Iffy design and many competitors compared to 2002-2003 SL introduction.

It would seem to me that in reading the MB press release the S-Class and SL are more than holding their own. CL market happens to be a niche market a really dead niche market.

Why would the CL be affected by a lesser Mercedes' and the S isn't? Doesn't make sense.

M

 

[K-A]

Yet K/A all you have to do is look at the other things that were said in that thread, along with the fact that VW, Fiat and Mercedes have all either announced plans to reduce production and/or are bracing for dip in profits. They're talking about the European economy, not the U.S.

The CL is just an old car at this point, and again if you look at the 2007-2008 numbers and then the collapse, you would see it has nothing to do with an A-Class that isn't sold here. SL? Iffy design and many competitors compared to 2002-2003 SL introduction.

It would seem to me that in reading the MB press release the S-Class and SL are more than holding their own. CL market happens to be a niche market a really dead niche market.

Why would the CL be affected by a lesser Mercedes' and the S isn't? Doesn't make sense.

M

We've done this dance enough, so we all know our perspectives will differ here, but as to why I don't bunch the S-Class in that category and why I've said that it isn't affected by M-B's broadening itself into a lower-segment brand in more ways than before....

Because unlike the CL and SL which serve no functional purpose other than being like trophy-wives, "Mercedes Exotics" in a sense, if you will, the S actually has a purpose behind its price tag. Many affluent families would rather have the extra space of an S than an E, which could be too cramped for a full car. The S also serves as a great Limo if need be, etc. The S has functionality behind its price, therefore it's actually a required car. The CL and SL being more-so "Halo Cars" have such little to do with M-B's bottom line, and have such little functional-necessity aspect, they could probably do away with them and other than perception, they wouldn't be affected much, in the short term (perception will affect them especially in the long term).

IMO if you want to judge how well M-B is doing in comparison to what it was before when it comes to "cachet/aspirational value/Halo status", you gotta look at the SL/CL more-so than anything. Because the C/E/S are all everyday cars that are used as Taxi's around the world (proving their utmost sense of functionality).

 

[Merc1]

Clearly sales of the CL and SL volume wise isn't the only way to determine anything K/A. You seem to understand that the CL and SL are niche, small-volume cars, yet you expect them light up the sales charts.

Again, look at the data of the S vs the CL on the site in the other thread. CL sales have been anywhere from 10-20 percent of S-Class sales up until much recently, that is more than acceptable for a car that starts at over 20K more than an a S-Class.

Sales aren't the end all barometer for sales lol. My goodness man. If you think that juicy profit from a CL and the SL have "little to do with Mercedes' bottom line" you're way off there also. They're sheer profit, especially the CL which is basically a 2-door S-Class with a 20K price premium.

If your theory was correct about Mercedes itself losing cachet or prestige or whatever, the S-Class would be affected also seeing as how there are a dozen other cars in that space for buyers to choose from. The CL and SL get hurt by an A-Class that isn't sold in the U.S., but the S-Class doesn't. None of it makes any sense. Yet the S, SL, and CL sell in a space, especially the CL and SL where Audi and BMW can't and/or don't.

Mercedes hasn't move downmarket in the U.S. yet so I still don't know where you get this stuff from.

M

 

[mini_cooper4]

Clearly sales of the CL and SL volume wise isn't the only way to determine anything K/A. You seem to understand that the CL and SL are niche, small-volume cars, yet you expect them light up the sales charts.

Again, look at the data of the S vs the CL on the site in the other thread. CL sales have been anywhere from 10-20 percent of S-Class sales up until much recently, that is more than acceptable for a car that starts at over 20K more than an a S-Class.

Sales aren't the end all barometer for sales lol. My goodness man. If you think that juicy profit from a CL and the SL have "little to do with Mercedes' bottom line" you're way off there also. They're sheer profit, especially the CL which is basically a 2-door S-Class with a 20K price premium.

If your theory was correct about Mercedes itself losing cachet or prestige or whatever, the S-Class would be affected also seeing as how there are a dozen other cars in that space for buyers to choose from. The CL and SL get hurt by an A-Class that isn't sold in the U.S., but the S-Class doesn't. None of it makes any sense. Yet the S, SL, and CL sell in a space, especially the CL and SL where Audi and BMW can't and/or don't.

Mercedes hasn't move downmarket in the U.S. yet so I still don't know where you get this stuff from.

M

Downmarketing is a long process... as you might know Renault-Nissan are involved also... most people are not able to feel it since the beginning of the process but it's already happening with the Citan and it will go through core MB models too but not in that extent of course... at least not soon
All that is downmarketing at it's best... it's only bad for us and the brand's name!

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Audi does fine despite the heavy VW influence and sharing. As long as MB manages the cooperation with Renault properly, they will be fine.

 

[Merc1]

Downmarketing is a long process... as you might know Renault-Nissan are involved also... most people are not able to feel it since the beginning of the process but it's already happening with the Citan and it will go through core MB models too but not in that extent of course... at least not soon
All that is downmarketing at it's best... it's only bad for us and the brand's name!

True, but none of that has anything to do with a Mercedes CL or SL in the U.S. at the moment. U.S. buyers don't know what a Citan is, nor do they care to know. To say that this is somehow causing people not to buy a SL or CL is just not true.


M

 

[MBFanToDeath]

off topic: @Daimler AG: Please stop with sales numbers and JUST F** focus on the damn BRAND, HERITAGE, TRADITION, DESIGN...listen to the f***million of enthusiasts and take care for the damn Three-pointed Star! Comeon' Dr. Z!
Sorry for OT. Thanks

 

[K-A]

off topic: @Daimler AG: Please stop with sales numbers and JUST F** focus on the damn BRAND, HERITAGE, TRADITION, DESIGN...listen to the f***million of enthusiasts and take care for the damn Three-pointed Star! Comeon' Dr. Z!
Sorry for OT. Thanks

Wow! Brilliant and couldn't have said it better! Daimler needs to hear this, they need to get in gear.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

 

[mini_cooper4]

True, but none of that has anything to do with a Mercedes CL or SL in the U.S. at the moment. U.S. buyers don't know what a Citan is, nor do they care to know. To say that this is somehow causing people not to buy a SL or CL is just not true.


M

I just shared my view on the downmarketing topic
It's global and will sooner or later affect even the US market

 

[Merc1]

I just shared my view on the downmarketing topic
It's global and will sooner or later affect even the US market

Yeah next year, sure it will.

M

 

[K-A]

I just shared my view on the downmarketing topic
It's global and will sooner or later affect even the US market

My European friends already say it has. I mean everybody I spoke to still say M-B has ultimate cachet, but EVERYBODY I asked had that same hesitation, that sigh of "welll, yes they still do, but it isn't the same as before". This will only get worse as they flood more cheap cars and FWD cars in. American's might not be there YET, but remember, everything when it comes to Mercedes and the like is multiplied tenfold in the States, when it comes to "cachet-factor". Americans see M-B as an import, as somewhat of an "exotic mass manufacturer" still. If M-B's were Taxi's in the U.S, guaranteed they would never sell expensive cars again. If Americans get a whiff that M-B is moving downmarket, they'll have a harder time spending big bucks on M-B. That's what I think. And I know wealthy Europeans who already say that's the case for them.

Especially in America, "Mercedes" has almost as high a "snob value" as Rolls Royce. American's love that about it, they love the vanity of it. M-B have to be careful not to mess with that when it comes to moving their more expensive units.