Mercedes-Benz Within 1,600 of BMW in U.S. Luxury Sales Contest

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz topped Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW by more than 5,000 vehicle sales in the U.S. last month, coming within 1,600 of the lead in deliveries of luxury automobiles.
Mercedes deliveries, helped by a refreshed C-Class car and redesigned M-Class sport-utility vehicle, rose 47 percent to 26,796 in November, the Stuttgart, Germany-based automaker said yesterday in a statement, topping BMW for a second straight month. BMW’s U.S. sales rose 7 percent in November to 21,521, the Munich-based automaker said.
With November’s results, BMW’s lead for the year narrowed to 1,582 units over Mercedes. BMW sales have risen 12 percent to 221,073. Deliveries of Mercedes vehicles through November rose 12 percent to 219,491 in the U.S., the company said. The two are vying to replace Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus, which has been the annual U.S. luxury sales leader for the past 11 years.
“It’s going to be a very close race,” said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst with TrueCar.com, a Santa Monica, California-based website that tracks auto sales. “Based on the current momentum, I think that Benz has a good chance of winning the race this year.”
A March earthquake and tsunami in Japan restricted supplies of Lexus cars and SUVs, and the brand’s year-to-date sales fell 14 percent to 173,197. Toyota City, Japan-based Lexus increased U.S. deliveries in November by 6.7 percent to 19,458.
BMW Looked ‘Unreachable’
Mercedes surge “is somewhat surprising,” Toprak said. “I thought BMW had a strong hold based upon earlier this year. They seemed unreachable.”
The results exclude Daimler’s Sprinter vans and Smart cars and BMW’s Mini brand, which aren’t luxury vehicles.
Mercedes’s product lineup got a boost in September when it began selling a new M-Class SUV and refreshed C-Class sedan. The automaker also began offering a two-door version of the C-Class to compete against BMW’s 3-Series lineup. C-Class sales in November more than doubled to 8,358 from 3,930, the company said. M-Class deliveries rose 38 percent to 4,796.
“By good fortune we have strong availability of brand-new product at a time when the wind shifted slightly in the marketplace,” Steve Cannon, Mercedes vice president of U.S. marketing, said yesterday in an interview in Detroit. November’s 13.6 million seasonally adjusted annualized selling rate was the highest in more than two years.
Mercedes is pushing the C-Class with lease deals, Toprak said.
“They’re creating a lot of volume play with the cheap leases they are putting out there,” he said.
‘Close’ Race
While December is traditionally Mercedes best-selling month, Cannon wouldn’t say that Mercedes will beat BMW for the year.
“December will look like November,” he said. “It’s going to be close.
“We have no mandate from Stuttgart that says beat BMW,” Cannon said. “If BMW wants to throw everything but the kitchen sink to hold onto a sales crown, we’re not going to duke it out with them,” he added.
General Motors Co.’s Cadillac luxury brand sales fell 5.6 percent last month to 11,145, according to the Detroit-based automaker.
U.S. deliveries of Audi, the premium brand of Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen AG, rose 3.6 percent to 9,700 vehicles last month, the company said in a statement. With 104,906 sales through November, the brand exceeded 100,000 U.S. deliveries for the second-straight year.
Porsche AG, the Stuttgart-based automaker, sold 2,255 vehicles in the U.S., a 6.7 percent decrease, the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti sold 8,428 vehicles, 3 percent more than a year earlier, the Yokohama, Japan-based company, said in a statement.
Honda Motor Co., based in Tokyo, said in a statement that sales for its Acura brand fell 7.5 percent to 9,909 last month.
Ford Motor Co. sold 6,305 Lincolns in November, an 18 percent decrease from a year earlier, according to a statement from the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker.
Land Rover deliveries rose 31 percent to 3,820, while Jaguar sales dropped 18 percent to 915, said Autodata Corp., an industry researcher. The brands are owned by Mumbai-based Tata Motors Ltd.

Mercedes-Benz Within 1,600 of BMW in U.S. Luxury Sales Contest - Businessweek

 

[K-A]

Congrats, and I won't lie and say that the 1 year older E-Class outselling the MPG & HP superior F10 so largely- in its introductory year (not to mention the E60 outselling the W211 so handily, so the W212 gen reversing the roles) isn't impressive to me (and I'm speaking Sedan VS Sedan, btw), but I don't really care about who "wins". Just make good cars, and please my enthusiast bone. I don't buy Shares of Daimler for a reason (don't want to confuse my enthusiasm with a $$$$ gain). If the F10 kicks the W212's a$$ next year in Sales, and BMW outsells M-B by 100,000 cars, I won't change my opinion or stance on the cars.

Now, when Sales increase or decrease due to quality changes, then this is more notable. I.e, M-B's sales slowly but surely dropped after so many owners vowed to never buy again, during the late 90's to mid 00's, however, now, M-B's quick return to utmost quality indeed does reflect in its Sales starting to counter the momentum decrease into a momentum increase, instead. BMW are now slipping in quality, as Forums of the F10 (the only BMW that I follow closely and visit Owners Forums of) are plagued with very serious problems, and lots of unhappy owners to partially counter the also many very happy owners.

 

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Congrats, and I won't lie and say that the 1 year older E-Class outselling the MPG & HP superior F10 so largely- in its introductory year (not to mention the E60 outselling the W211 so handily, so the W212 gen reversing the roles) isn't impressive to me (and I'm speaking Sedan VS Sedan, btw), but I don't really care about who "wins". Just make good cars, and please my enthusiast bone. I don't buy Shares of Daimler for a reason (don't want to confuse my enthusiasm with a $$$$ gain). If the F10 kicks the W212's a$$ next year in Sales, and BMW outsells M-B by 100,000 cars, I won't change my opinion or stance on the cars.

Now, when Sales increase or decrease due to quality changes, then this is more notable. I.e, M-B's sales slowly but surely dropped after so many owners vowed to never buy again, during the late 90's to mid 00's, however, now, M-B's quick return to utmost quality indeed does reflect in its Sales starting to counter the momentum decrease into a momentum increase, instead. BMW are now slipping in quality, as Forums of the F10 (the only BMW that I follow closely and visit Owners Forums of) are plagued with very serious problems, and lots of unhappy owners to partially counter the also many very happy owners.

I'll just leave that there.

 

[K-A]

Believe me, I know and am proud of M-B's return to the top. Don't forget, they still have some older Schremmp era models dragging that score down. You can probably bet that anything released 2006+ would be at the very top of the chart, where M-B belongs.

 

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

The models that are dragging are A.) Due for a refresh soon or B.) Coming out with a completely new model. They'll fix it. This is where MB deserves to be. Every other German auto maker except Porsche is below the industry average. What I love about MBZ right now is the fact that they're actually bringing back their identity. What MBZ was about and should of never lost. Can't say the same for some other German manufacturers.

 

[Mr Robert]

I think the 3-series is a big reason.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I think the 3-series is a big reason.

It is part of the reason.

I personally don't want to see MB win the race this year. It's meaningless in the big scheme of things and it will just make BMW's crushing victory next year all the more sweeter.

Ahh well the 3 deserves to be a massive sales success. BMW has thrown everything including the kitchen sink at it, and it looks and appears to drive brilliantly.

 

[Human]

Run! Forest Run!

 

[HighestOfHigh]

It is part of the reason.

I personally don't want to see MB win the race this year.

As long as Mercedes-Benz keeps building quality and well engineered cars, why would you NOT want them to be more successful than BMW in sales?

I personally would love to see Benz crush BMW in sales, profit, value, quality etc.....

 

[Zafiro]

I personally would love to see Benz crush BMW in sales, profit, value, quality etc.....

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Really? I actually was going to post something like this in SL thread, but decided not to.

Honestly, it is not really about hate. Although I think BMW and Audi encourage Benz to remain competitive, my loyalty is with Benz.

 

[Zafiro]

Really? I actually was going to post something like this in SL thread, but decided not to.

You started all this "haters gonna hate". You are the founder of all evil what goes around comes around

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

As long as Mercedes-Benz keeps building quality and well engineered cars, why would you NOT want them to be more successful than BMW in sales?

I personally would love to see Benz crush BMW in sales, profit, value, quality etc.....

Because, like I said it's just going to be a short blip on the charts. All indicators point to BMW leading in sales next year, and then we'll just have to read a bunch of ridiculous posts how MB is now doomed on on the brink of bankruptcy because it only held the lead for one year.

I'm more interested in long term trajectory, and I do want to see MB successful in both quality and quantity.

 

[HighestOfHigh]

You started all this "haters gonna hate". You are the founder of all evil what goes around comes around

I always approve HGH comments...But "I personally would love to see Benz crush BMW in sales, profit, value, quality etc....." really was not me "hating". Just showing support for my favorite car company.

 

[Wolfgang]

update from Steve Cannon

Adweek


'Close' race

While December is traditionally Mercedes best-selling month, Cannon said that topping BMW's sales was not a major priority. "December will look like November," he said. "It's going to be close. "We have no mandate from Stuttgart that says beat BMW," Cannon said. "If BMW wants to throw everything but the kitchen sink to hold onto a sales crown, we're not going to duke it out with them," he added.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20111202/ANE/312029994

 

[Beemer B773ER]

"If BMW wants to throw everything but the kitchen sink to hold onto a sales crown, we're not going to duke it out with them,

Ahh bullsh*t.

This line in your initial press release states your goal clearly:
Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz topped Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW by more than 5,000 vehicle sales in the U.S. last month, coming within 1,600 of the lead in deliveries of luxury automobiles.

It'll be an unbelievably close battle IMO...and unless BMW really pour out the incentive spending and probably offer 3er's at Camry prices, Mercedes should nudge ahead and win the sales crown for the year (IMO).

 

[Wolfgang]

^^^ Mercedes takes the long view.

zimbio

The CEO said the decisive point is that the company is pursuing a long-term plan with its new strategy. He wrote: "The planning outlook is not the next quarter, but rather the next decade. Experts all agree that by 2020, demand for cars will grow faster than the overall global economy." In the letter, Zetsche reiterated that he wants Mercedes to be the world's best-selling premium brand by or before the end of the current decade, adding "We will make the best cars, we are the best car company, sales and profitability will continue to improve as we will always work with immense focus and vision to constantly improve our already legendary nameplate and products".

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20110917/ANE/110919864

 

[K-A]

update from Steve Cannon

Adweek


'Close' race

While December is traditionally Mercedes best-selling month, Cannon said that topping BMW's sales was not a major priority. "December will look like November," he said. "It's going to be close. "We have no mandate from Stuttgart that says beat BMW," Cannon said. "If BMW wants to throw everything but the kitchen sink to hold onto a sales crown, we're not going to duke it out with them," he added.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20111202/ANE/312029994

Great quote. Regardless of what's true, this is how Mercedes needs to present themselves again. I still don't like Zetsche stating in public that M-B plans on "Winning the Sales race", even if he is adding substance to the statement by saying that it's not short term, but long term planning (a good thing). Mercedes needs to present themselves as "We will make the best cars, we are the best car company, sales and profitability will continue to improve as we will always work with immense focus and vision to constantly improve our already legendary nameplate and products". Giving admittance to a public "Sales War" looks classless, and isn't a good business decision in any which way.

I say, let BMW take it, or if M-B wins, great, but it doesn't change anything. It's not like beating BMW will make the cars better, or put more money in their pockets. They're gonna sell what they're gonna sell, regardless whether they inch above BMW or not.

 

[Wolfgang]

BMW, Mercedes Battle for U.S. Sales Crown - WSJ.com

 

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Numbers are in! It was pretty close!!

After delaying their reporting a day to re-tally the number of cars they sold, Mercedes-Benz and BMW announced their annual sales figures for the hotly-contested United States market today.

When the dust settled, BMW emerged with 247,907 deliveries in 2011, while Mercedes-Benz checked in with 245,192.

A strong December for Mercedes-Benz resulted in 25,701 sales, a 28 percent increase, but BMW’s comparatively modest 15 percent increase to 26,834 was enough to solidify a victory.

Both brands took over for Lexus , which had previously commanded an 11-year lead in the luxury segment. Beset by production and supply shortages related to the March 2011 earthquake in its home market of Japan, Lexus ended 2011 down 13 percent to 198,552.

Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have only held the sales crown once; Mercedes-Benz was the top-selling luxury brand in 1999, after decades of battles between Lincoln and Cadillac . By comparison, Lincoln found just 85,643 buyers last year and 152,389 took home Cadillacs.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/breakin...z-for-luxury-sales-crown-in-u-s-for-2011.html