[Scorcher]

BMW's global sales volume is up 19.2% for the first five months of 2011 compared to the same period last year

BMW is leading the 2011 race for the best-selling global premium brand, breezing past its fellow German rivals with a 19 percent increase in sales for the month of May.
The BMW brand sold 121,168 vehicles worldwide in May while Audi sold 113,400 and Mercedes-Benz 108,766 units.
Audi too saw its May 2011 sales rise by 19.5 percent over the same period last year but that wasn't enough to catch its arch-competitor BMW and Audi has to settle for second place.
For the first five months of 2011, the BMW brand holds the lead in global sales with a total of 555,429 units sold, an increase of 19.2 percent over the same period last year. The Bavarian brand's volume was boosted by fresh and popular products such as the X1 compact SUV, the X3 SUV and the 5-Series.
Audi sold 535,400 units for 2011 up to the end of May, up 17.5 percent over 2010. Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 490,021 units for the first five months of 2011, a rise of 10.5 percent over 2010.
The news is good for the German auto industry as a whole, with very healthy rises in sales for all three of the country's top premium brands. But BMW is the automaker making the best of the friendly global environment, especially in China, where its May sales were up an amazing 51.1 percent over last year.

Source: Worldcarfans

[issigonis]

>>>

Scorcher,

Gratifying news for Bimmer fans.
Any info. on the sales figures of the finest automobile in the world - the M3?

I think I should check out their annual report to find out more.

Regards, drive safe

[rrsteer]

For what its worth, sad news for me. To me Mercedes still makes the best cars. Ironically, for Merc its their once much touted brand which is not working for them.

Irrespective of how high the interbrand study ranks Mercedes, the fact is that in a lot of western countries and especially in the emerging countries of Asia the youth find the Merc brand a drag.

To me though, a black E 63 AMG is still all I crave for.

[ajmat]

One thing that I read was that BMW profit margins are not too competitive. 50% of sales from the 3 series so this means margins are tight, add to that they do discount. Mercedes volumes are more balanced across segments so their margins are better.

[arvi86]

As much as I want to love BMWs, the love that I have towards Mercedes-Benz makes sure that it does not happen. So, though a good news for all of us enthusiasts who love driving, I am still sad at the bottom of my heart that Mercedes-Benz is not leading the pack anymore. But, something inside me still says that Mercedes-Benz will be back with a bang very soon.

[moose56]

Forget the Bimmer's and the merc's , look at the Audi man they are only few thousand behind the BMW and i am quite sure that they will lead the pack in the coming years

[libranof1987]

I bet BMW's strong performance in the Indian market has quite a hand in those figures.

And rightly said, Audi ain't far behind.

About Merc-Audi-BMW, I think the youth is going for Audi and BMW more than the Merc is probably because Merc has been there in India for too long and hence has a much lesser "novelty" factor.

I'm sure for a lot of buyers, it's not about the cars (technical specs, features) but about the brand.

[DicKy]

Sad that Merc is even behind AUDI !!!
Hope that with the new gen models, especially after the W222 S class model is launched regains the old title.
Not caring if it's Merc or BMW, but can't stand how Audi surpasses Merc.

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by ajmat

One thing that I read was that BMW profit margins are not too competitive. 50% of sales from the 3 series so this means margins are tight, add to that they do discount. Mercedes volumes are more balanced across segments so their margins are better.

Not true. In the latest quarters BMW margins were almost 11% while MCG (mercedes car group ) was around 9%.

[volkman10]

BMW Group sets new record, should remain No. 1- Audi poised to pass Mercedes, finish year No. 2 in global premium sales!.


"Audi should for the first time pass the Mercedes-Benz brand in full-year global sales and finish 2011 as the world's No. 2-selling premium brand behind BMW.

With one month to go, Audi leads Mercedes by more than 56,500 total vehicle sales, despite the Daimler subsidiary outselling Audi last month and setting a record for vehicles sold in the January-November period."



http://www.autonews.com/article/2011...PY01/312109974

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Its about time.
Good to see Audi products getting the response they deserve. The Audi-BMW rivalry will only intensify in 2012 with BMW turning out just on top by next year's end. But the year after that, IMO is anyone's game.

[vasanthn21]

BMW has good financial schemes running these days making it easier to own one.

Saw an advertisement in the TOI this morning with an offer of owning a BMW X1 @ EMI of only Rs.14,999 per month.

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[Zed]

Im not sure if the sales numbers reflect the true market demand. Im not contesting the authenticity of the volumes per say but just factoring in the possibility that Audi has not been able to meet the market demand in many parts of the world. I know for a fact that last year there was a 4 month waiting period for an A3\4 in Germany and a friends looking to buy a Q5 (or was it a Q7) in Seattle was told by the Audi dealer they just did not sufficient supplies to meet demand.

Not taking away anything from BMW - theyve done a great job with their overall packages and the good folks running the show there deserve accolades for achieving these numbers.

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by Zed

Im not sure if the sales numbers reflect the true market demand. Im not contesting the authenticity of the volumes per say but just factoring in the possibility that Audi has not been able to meet the market demand in many parts of the world. I know for a fact that last year there was a 4 month waiting period for an A3\4 in Germany and a friends looking to buy a Q5 (or was it a Q7) in Seattle was told by the Audi dealer they just did not sufficient supplies to meet demand.

Not taking away anything from BMW - theyve done a great job with their overall packages and the good folks running the show there deserve accolades for achieving these numbers.

Yep i read this too but IMO even factoring in those markets- (i mean had Audi met the required demand in Germany/USA and a few other countries) BMW would probably still have maintained a lead.
In a couple of years time things would get really interesting with Audi at BMW's heels or maybe even with their noses ahead i think. Of course that is if things continue the way they are.

[souravc]

Read an interesting article which mentioned that the average age of a Merc buyer is 54 years while that of BMW is 49 and 48 for Audi Mercedes gets small to regain traction - Business - US business - Bloomberg Businessweek - msnbc.com. Audi and BMW came out with more youthful models and new launches to capture the market , Merc lagged behind.
As I understand Audi has smashed past Merc in US sales and if one adds China to the equation where VW group is very strong and and a market which grew at 35% even when slowing down then one sees how Audi went past Merc. If I am not mistaken Daimler fired the head of Merc US which might also have played a part in the company not achieving its potential .