At one time not so long ago, BMW was the number one selling luxury automobile company in the world. It makes sense, as the launches of the F30 3 Series and F10 5 Series created an influx of BMW buyers, pushing the Bavarian brand to the top of the charts where it stayed for a few years. Now, however, BMW has dropped to third place among luxury automakers in global sales. Admittedly, this is just for January, so its possible BMW can yet again be the best-selling luxury automaker by the year’s end, but as it stands now, BMW is getting the bronze.
It’s actually quite interesting, as BMW’s January sales rose 7.5 percent, as the Roundel sold 133,883 cars last month. However, that’s not as much as Audi, who sold 143,150 units and not even close to as much as Mercedes-Benz, who sold 150,814 cars.
It’s strange to see Mercedes taking the top spot in the luxury sale department, as the Stuttgart-based brand lagged behind the other two German luxury car brands for several years. However, with Mercedes introducing a series of new models, including the CLA Class, the new C Class, the new S Class and the updated SUVs, it created a massive amount of new buyers and the new Mercedes-Benz design language has brought customers over from other brands.
However, despite BMW currently lagging behind its German competitors and many markets being down at the moment, including the massive Chinese market, the Bavarian brand is still positive. “Despite many markets showing continuing volatility, we remain optimistic,” said Ian Robertson, Head of BMW sales.
BMW will be introducing quite a few new models this year, which should help BMW increase its sales, much in the same way Mercedes did, last year. The new G11 BMW 7 Series has gotten off to a slow start, selling only 3,392 units last month, whereas Mercedes-Benz sold 8,473 S Classes. This is likely because the 7 Series is very new and still quite unknown, it will get better as customers see its new technology and luxury. But the Bavarians will also be releasing the new BMW M2, X4 M40i, 33e plug-in hybrid and possibly even the new 5 Series this year, so sales should improve.
But it won’t be easy, because it isn’t just Mercedes-Benz that’s coming out with new competing models. Audi will be launching its new A4 in North America and just released its new Q7 in North America as well, the two best-selling Audis on the market. So BMW’s Bavarian neighbors are making this sales race even more difficult.
So it isn’t going to be easy for BMW, but with its suite of new models on the way, as well as new technologies and newly branded models (iPerformance, M Performance), BMW definitely has a chance to regain the lead.
[Source: Autonews]
Well… Nothing to worry about, the X1 is at the moment the best seller model from BMW so the demand is very high, you have to wait at least 6 months for it. I work for bmw, so I know that many people who bought an X1 last year in november will receive the car in may, june… So the waiting list is very long. We have at least 40% of new cars list waiting the new X1. We are expecting for a growth at least of 20% in our dealership, a small one, so I can imagine the big one’s also should expect a big growth, the only problem is the long waiting for the X1, that’s why sales are “poor” comparing to the rivals. I’m sure that at the end of year BMW is going to be again number one.
Thank you for this very interesting comment. Now I’m reassured that BMW will soon be N° 1 again! :)
BMW is making worse and worse cars to get to be number 1. It’s sad.
Worse and worse cars?? I don’t like the fact that in a few years time they will make way too many FWD cars. But they are moneymakers. A lot of the people who buy 2 Series Active and Gran Tourers are new. And they are propably one of the best FWD cars on the market. They are well built and have beautiful, luxurious interiors. The new X1 is very beautiful and well proportioned from every angle. They make the M2 even though they won’t make much money from it, they just announced the M760Li xDrive, which is a magnificent flagship! BMW was the first premium brand to invest in electric mobility and hybrid technology. They created the i sub-brand and the fantastic i8 and funny city car i3. They still make the pure M Cars, but also M Performance vehicles are great cars with fantastic driving dynamics and built quality. So how is it they make “worse and worse cars”?
Excuse me – I cannot believe you just mentioned that the front wheel drive cars have well built, luxurious interiors. Have you actually been in one? The interior quality is noticeably cheaper than the normal BMWs. Even the seats are narrower and feel cheaper. Open and close the doors, feel the door handles. The point of those cars are to make it as cheaply as possible and they are pretty disgusting carrying the BMW badge. The handling of those cars are terrible too, and no, they don’t feel like the Mini Coopers. They are so nose heavy you can feel it in the corners. The problem with BMW is not only that they are cutting corners with cost savings and poorer quality (even with the traditional 3 Series, 2 and 1), they are doing nothing to improve the perception of the brand in terms of performance and sportiness. The public notices and unfortunately this is what matters. Cars are meant to be fun things, enjoyable, exciting. Audi with their R8 have added much value to the brand. However, BMW’s overly focusing their marketing on electric cars and efficient dynamics does not have enough of a “wow” factor for the brand. It is sad that management don’t seem to take this into account when looking at ROIs of specific projects / new models. You may think BMW making these vans are of no significance to the brand as they are attracting new customers, but I can tell you that they are turning away existing customer who now associate the brand with products that are uncool. I have not had one friend who saw the 2 Series GT or AT and made a positive comment about the car, they were all negative, even the females – and I am in my twenties. Anyway, I really hope BMW will stop diluting their own brand, stop trying use the brand to make quick money at the expense of long term prospects and stop looking at how they can make worse products because they think customers won’t notice, trust me, they do and once they do, they will not turn back as the trust is gone. I feel like the BMW brand has lost some of its unique corporate values that it used to have associated with it, and I feel that it is a brand less representative of me. As I am a car enthusiast and I am in this premium car market, I feel that BMW is now less of a brand that I can fully associate myself with and will be less inclined to purchase another BMW again. It just isn’t the car company that it once was, not so exclusive any more, it makes minivans for goodness sake! BMW became number 1 worldwide in 2005 doing what it did best, producing the Ultimate Driving Machines – frankly they should take that slogan away now because it is just NOT TRUE! They are now lying in my face with that slogan.
Yes, I’ve been in the X1 and 2 Series Active Tourer. I’ve made a test drive and I felt like it drove really well. They still make the Ultimate Driving Machine, but now (sadly) they also make vans. But they are pretty good in it. Why would you even care? They still make cars like the 2 Series Coupe/ Convertible, the 3 Series, 4 Series Coupe, Gran Coupe, Convertible, 6 Series and so on. All great handling and luxurious cars. Traditional BMW’s, with inline-6 (top of the line of course) engines. I think it’s great they focus on hybrid technology as it’s very important for the future. We only have 1 WORLD. If we destroy it, there’s no turning back. I love the M760Li, but at the same time I believe they should’ve maybe made it a hybrid, because a modern car that consumes well over 10l of petrol… that’s pretty awful. I like it because I’m a car enthousiast, but I have doubts because I care about the environment. About the van-thing; what’s the problem? Mercedes makes the B Class for how long? And Audi is FWD or AWD for how long?? BMW stayed true to their own traditions really long, but now they have to soften a bit, if they want to stay on the top. Car enthusiasts and especially BMW enthusiasts don’t care if the boot of their BMW is smaller because it has RWD, they just want it to be fun and thus RWD! But there are way more people who just want a premium brand car and don’t care and even don’t know (!) it’s RWD. They want the biggest boot. Of course, the 2 Series AT and especially GT aren’t very beautiful (in case of the GT not to say ugly), but for what it is, they aren’t that bad. At the end of the year, we’ll see whether they made the right choices or not. They may lose some of the customers because they associate BMW with “uncool” cars, but I believe they will gain a lot more customers by making them. I do have to admit that the built quality of the 2 AT and GT may be a bit less, but they still feel and look nice and premium.
We have a lot of new costumers that came to BMW for a 2 series active tourer or gran tourer, and finally they decided to go for a X1, costumers that came from another brands. So a lot of the costumers of X1 are new to BMW. That’s why we are so confident that at the end of year we will have a growth between 10% and 20%. Same thing happens to X4… The list is very long 6 months at least
I think the point is being missed here. The problem is that BMW, being a pure premium product that used to outsell Audis by a few folds have now allowed Audi to build brand reputation to the extent that they outsell BMWs not because they have better products, they sell rebadged VWs for goodness sake, but they create better perception of their brand. And this is where the problem is with BMW. You can go on and on about product cycles etc. but that really does not explain the underlying trend here, that BMW is losing market share to Audi big time and it will lose the crown as well. I have predicted and warned about this since Reithofer took over as CEO.
Why do they where costumes while they drive? Is this a new market segment BMW is tapping into?
I’d really hope for a styling overhaul for BMW cars. I wouldn’t buy the new 5 series if it looks like the F10. I don’t think that BMWs board of directors realize the importance of interior and exterior design. If it looks boring, I’ll pass. I however realize that BMW wants to expand their lower end models, but I wouldn’t if it is front wheel drive. The one reason I think the X1 is successful is because of the poor competition. But I would expect people, at least in Germany, to switch to Mercedes as that is the most popular (maybe not in sales “yet” but definitely in public opinion). Also, in the 2000-10 era, BMW had an engineering edge over its rivals, but that isn’t the case anymore, meaning that styling and public opinion means a lot more than engineering for most buyers. Oh well, lets see how it will turn out.
It would be difficult to make a more boring looking car than the A4.
These things are cyclical. There’s no doubt that the 3-er and 5-er are beginning to show their age, but this is the way of things. BMW are missing out on a volume segment for as long as they don’t have the F52 on sale.
F10 M5<3 I still think the m-sport and M car f10s look fantastic. The regular lines look aged (why BMW made sportline standard on the f30)
Drop drops yo!
Well, people buy what looks good and now sadly, bmw seems that they dont see that Mercedes make beautiful cars( more agression) and Audi also, in my honest opinion its the first time when I see that BMW 3 Series is uglier than a C-Klasse and A4 and looks like old, even the lower class cars are looking better; bmw 5 series same. 7 series??? Wtf. That design in 2016, when all car makers try to make futurist cars, bmw makes a flagship car that has a design uglier than a S klasse, a point that has a very big impulse on mind of the customer.
Bmw 6 series..it was best looking car until…S-couple appeard and now..the old king is dead.
Bmw x5, bmw x6= good looking cars
Bmw 1 series, better buy a toyota or hyundai or kia, that cost like -10000€ but its nicer and has some high tech in in.
So almost primary selling cars are in the point of “collapse”.
I said in 2014, that 2015 will be the last year for bmw to be nr. 1, but I didn’t think that was going to fall this fast and behind audi? Never.
Sad..just sad, invest more in your design. If not, it will be worser, because alot of bmw buyers buy bmw becuase “of the name”, and this big part of bmw customers its getting thinner and thinner.
Good luck to all of you!
I don’t understand BMW’s production planning at all. SUV’s are hot yet their inventory is always very low. My local dealers is small with about 100-110 cars on hand at any time, the currently have 1 X1 and 20 3 series. They never had more than a hand full of X5 or X3’s all of last year. Either BMW’s production is totally screwed up or they have idiots ordering at the dealership. I beleive BMW is way behind in keeping up with SUV production for the US.
“At one time not so long ago…” Really? How about for the past 11 years in as row, including 2015. Is your memory that short, Nico? No one ever keeps score on a monthly basis, it’s the yearly total that counts. How do you think BMW managed to stay Number One for 2015? Ever ask yourself how they do that? Ask Dr. Z, he knows how BMW does it. LOL Here’s a clue: look at January’s numbers.
Wake me up at the end of the year and let me know if BMW is still third, okay?
“At one time not so long ago…” Really? They pulled it out last year, didn’t they? And that was the 11th straight year they were Number One in the World. So wake me up at the end of the year and let me know if they’re still in third place, but in the meantime, don’t bother me with January’s numbers. January? LOL
Mercedes-Benz really made a genius step in product strategy with first launching the truly amazing W222 S-class and a few years later then the W205 c-class that successfully transplants the s-class luxury class design into the premium car segment. This sort of “mini-s-class” delivers incredible value when compared to the 3-series. A lot of c-class customers are probably only attracted by the thought to be able to drive in style of a s-class on a budget. BMW does not have a customer magnet for its 3 series that is working as good as the one of Mercedes. True, they have the magnificent i8, the M3 / M4 and M5 that became iconic for BMW but except for the i8 they don’t have much of attention grabbing styling that would be instantly recognized by the public like say the s-class for mercedes, the R8 for Audi or the 911 for Porsche (Im not saying that BMWs are generally not recognized, almost everyone could identify the 3 series, but to date the instant connection between lets say the 3 series and some other highly desired BMW car that truly incorporates what BMW stands for is a bit weak)
My suggestion for BMW would be to rethink their styling and to identify one car that truly incorporates everything BMW stands for – I think the i8 is excellent for this – and then to implement its design elements in the high volume products like the 3 series and 5 series. Otherwise i think BMW will end up in something like an identity crisis and will begin to make more and more commodity like cars that promise quick growth but eventually fail to demand the premium price BMW was used to.
The management or whoever decides things at BMW are just too shy at the moment about implementing proper design in cars like the 3, 5 or 7 series. They look just boring and more functional than truly out of a designers hand. On their way to production they loose much of their styling and the only unique aspects are added later through cheap chrome decors or wind tunnel styled door mirrors. From the 7 series i tell you that the next 5 or 3 series won’t be any better.
I’m still waiting eagerly for the new 5-Series!