BMW's Sales Speed Past Its German Rivals' in November
Luxury carmaker BMW Group saw its global sales grow by nearly 20% in November, giving the German automaker its best percentage increase in monthly sales so far this year. "Solid growth" in Germany, China and the U.S. drove sales of 129,014 vehicles last month, the Munich-based company said Wednesday.
BMW's sales also are already up solidly for the year: The company sold 1.32 million vehicles from January through November, representing 13.5% growth from 1.16 million deliveries in the same period last year -- and surpassing 2009's full-year sales of 1.29 million. In other words, BMW sold more vehicles in 11 months this year than it sold in all of 2009.
The pace of sales means the company is likely to reach its goal of selling more than 1.4 million units this year, according to Ian Robertson, who leads BMW's sales and marketing efforts.
"Thanks to our ongoing product offensive, we are outperforming the market and were able to expand our market share worldwide once again in November," Robertson said in a company statement. "As we do so, we continue to aim for a good balance between our sales in Europe, the Americas and Asia."
Speedier Growth
Sales of namesake BMW-brand vehicles, which account for the bulk of BMW Group's sales, rose 20% in November, while those at its Mini and Rolls-Royce units gained 19% and 164%, respectively.
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New models helped boost BMW sales, industry analyst Marc-Rene Tonn of M.M. Warburg in Hamburg told Bloomberg News. "At BMW, you can clearly see the strong success of the new products," Tonn said, adding that he expects the momentum to continue next year with the introduction of the company's new 6-Series line, followed by the 1- Series.
BMW's November sales growth outpaced that of its German rivals, Daimler's Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen's Audi division, Bloomberg noted. Mercedes-Benz's worldwide sales, which also include Smart cars, rose 19% to 112,300 vehicles in November. The company's on pace to grow sales 15% for the year, with slightly more than 1 million vehicles sold so far.
Meanwhile, Audi grew its sales 5.2% to 87,050 vehicles in November and has seen a 12.5% growth in sales for the year to date. Audi's November sales were helped by strong demand for the A1 subcompact model introduced in September. The A1 attracted 7,500 deliveries, helping Audi fend off a year-over-year sales decline.
In November 2009, industry sales got a boost from the German government's "scrappage" program, which was similar to the U.S.'s "cash for clunkers" program.
