January 08 US Sales: Audi, BMW, MB ++

[KokkenTor]

Audi: 6,418 (+0.3%) ----> report: Audi of America Reports Record January Sales

BMW: 14,475 (-26.7%)
Mini: 2,460 (+20.0%)
Total: 16,935 (-22.4%) ----> report: BMW Group (BMW and MINI) Reports January Sales

Mercedes: 18,275 (+7.1%) ----> report: Mercedes-Benz USA Records Best January Sales Ever

Volkswagen: 14,411 (-13.2%) ----> report: Volkswagen Reports January 2008 Sales

Porsche: 2,595 (-13.0%) ----> report: PORSCHE REPORTS THIRD BEST JANUARY SALES IN U.S.

 

[EnI]

Japanese counterparts:


Lexus: 20,299 (-8.2%) ----> report: Toyota Reports January Sales

Acura: 11,168 (-14.2%) ----> report: Acura Announces January Sales Results

Infiniti: 8,644 (-3.6%) ----> report: Nissan North America Announces January Sales


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Volvo, Jaguar & LR reports: Ford Crossovers Stayed Hot in January

 

[Merc1]

Wow the Lexus sales machine is grinding to a halt. That new RX can't come soon enough for them.

Some of the models that gained for Mercedes is shocking for this time of year.

M

 

[NarutoRamen]

Japanese counterparts:


Lexus: 20,299 (-8.2%) ----> report: Toyota Reports January Sales

Acura: 11,168 (-14.2%) ----> report: Acura Announces January Sales Results

Infiniti: 8,644 (-3.6%) ----> report: Nissan North America Announces January Sales


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Volvo, Jaguar & LR reports: Ford Crossovers Stayed Hot in January

Acura isn't going to do good for a long time. They have no new products to offer, all of their cars are getting old.

As for MB, They actually did pretty good. AUDI in the plus is good news

 

[Merc1]

Acura should get a big boost as the year goes on. New TSX in April, new TL in Sept and rumored a new RL at the end of the year.

M

 

[NarutoRamen]

Acura should get a big boost as the year goes on. New TSX in April, new TL in Sept and rumored a new RL at the end of the year.

M

I surely hope so. The TSX is my favorite FWD car in the US...of course, I'm biased because we own one. But seriously, the TSX chassis is so tight that if you turn really hard into a corner the rear actually slides out...it's a good balace of understeer/oversteer. I'm hoping the new TSX is just as good or better.

 

[Merc1]

I drove one when it first came out, but I was put off the lack of power. Other than that (well and it is a little small for me) it was good little car.

M

 

[KokkenTor]

Bad figures from BMW Group this month:

BMW: 14,475 (-26,7%)
Mini: 2,460 (+20%)
Total: 16,935 (-22,4%) report ---> BMW Group (BMW and MINI) Reports January Sales

 

[LaArtist]

^ouuch

 

[bmer]

Whoa! What happened there?

 

[warot]

Why the huge drop?

 

[EnI]

Why the huge drop?

That's what press release says:

"Sales were impacted by lower than normal inventory levels due to a very strong retail performance in December ..."

Meaning: they sold less due they were unable to deliver cars to the customers.
Not that demand was so low, but the supply simply wasn't there for the customers. This will be compensated in the following months by a big growth in sales - since all the January demands will be supplied in the following months.

Remember - same thing happened to MB last year, or it was in 2006.

Yet the reason for short supply is unknown to me. Did BMW NA have any logistic problems lately? Since all the German & Austrian made BMWs recorded the sharpest decline in sales, while eg. locally produced X5 sales dropped only -4.7% ...

 

[vabboud]

7er is nearing its end, Z4 is not in its prime, 3er up for a facelift, 6er was never a high volume seller, the only question marks are on the 5er and X3, the rest were to be expected

 

[EnI]

7er is nearing its end, Z4 is not in its prime, 3er up for a facelift, 6er was never a high volume seller, the only question marks are on the 5er and X3, the rest were to be expected

Not at all.

Like I said: the problem was in supply, not in demand!

The demand is still huge. BMW expect to sell more cars in US this year than in 2007. The drop in sales of 7er (ending production in late summer before F01 comes), and slower production of 3er before LCI kicks in later this year will be compensated very successfully with 1er coupe, 1er cabrio, and X6. Also Mini Clubman & Mini Cabrio will be there to boos MINI sales.

The January sales figures are just an anomaly (due to supply shortage, just like the MB figures were in one of the previous Januaries .




Think: there is absolutely no grounds in demand for such a drop in sales. Do you really think in December BMWs were hot, yet few weeks later in January nobody liked the cars anymore? That was not the case. Yes, the numbers are bad - but all due to extremely low supply. While all the trends indicates the increase in demand, and huge interest in BMW cars (also boosted by 1er & X6 presentation - both cars boosted the brand image a few points higher lately in US market - and I guess the boost will be even higher when the cars are available in the showrooms, and the ad campaign starts).
Guys, if dealers have eg. 15,000 cars available, they can't sell 20,000 of them - not even in the case there is a demand for 20,000 cars.

Yet I was really not aware BMW US supply would fail in January.

 

[PHYBENZ]

ML is kicking the X5's a$$ which is surprising.

 

[GBOY]

Let's hope it's just a supply thing ... Damn!

 

[GTA45E]

lOl, looks like the CLS is doing better than the 6er, last January and this one.

 

[bum-man]

ML is kicking the X5's a$$ which is surprising.

More for your money IMO.

 

[Merc1]

That's what press release says:

"Sales were impacted by lower than normal inventory levels due to a very strong retail performance in December ..."

Meaning: they sold less due they were unable to deliver cars to the customers.
Not that demand was so low, but the supply simply wasn't there for the customers. This will be compensated in the following months by a big growth in sales - since all the January demands will be supplied in the following months.

Remember - same thing happened to MB last year, or it was in 2006.

Yet the reason for short supply is unknown to me. Did BMW NA have any logistic problems lately? Since all the German & Austrian made BMWs recorded the sharpest decline in sales, while eg. locally produced X5 sales dropped only -4.7% ...

Doesn't make sense. These "sales" numbers are just the number of units shipped to the dealers, not actually sold to customers. Just like MB and Lexus, BMW likely shipped a huge number of units to their dealers in December and thus didn't ship many to dealers in Jan because dealers were already sitting on too many units as is. To ship a huge number in January would mean BMW would have to load up on huge incentives and what not to move the metal. So instead of doing that they cut down on the Jan shipment. There is no "supply problem" and "lower than normal inventory levels" means they didn't ship what they normally would because dealers were already sitting on too much stock. You are right about one thing though, this did happen to MB one Jan in which they only "sold" (i.e. shipped) a few thousand units.

M

 

[EnI]

A-ha, so US sales figures are not the sales to the customers but to the dealers? Meaning in Jan 2008 BMW "sold" (= delivered) less cars to dealers, so the dealers pushed the leftovers from December - to clear the inventories? Kind a after-sale action.

Yet the BMW press release says something about huge demand for AWD models also affecting the figures - yet I guess BMW wasn't able to produce / ship them so quickly.


Hmmm ... Is it possible car companies sometimes push a bit more cars in December to the dealers, just to embellish the yearly car sales figures? IMO in 2007 BMW just wanted to exceed sales of 1.5 million units worldwide no matter what.

Btw, eg. EU sales figures are - in contrary to US figures - actually based on new car registration, which is done after the car is delivered to the customer. So EU "sales" numbers show delivery to customers more correctly.