BMW Group's Year-to-Date Sales Increase 5.9 Percent; November Sales Dip 4 Percent

Wednesday December 1, 1:25 pm ET


WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The BMW Group (BMW and MINI brands combined) reported an increase of 5.9 percent in year-to-date sales, for 266,819 vehicles compared to the 251,954 sold in the first eleven months of 2003. The Group also reported November sales of 24,095 vehicles compared to 25,086 vehicles in the same month in 2003, down 4 percent.
BMW Brand Sales

BMW reported sales of 20,732 automobiles and Sports Activity Vehicles, down 5.3 percent compared to the 21,892 vehicles reported the same month last year.

Year-to-date, sales of BMW brand vehicles were up 6.7 percent, to 234,597 vehicles compared to 219,949 vehicles sold in the same period a year ago.

BMW Automobile Sales

BMW's automobile sales were down 29 percent, to 12,796 versus 17,991 in November of 2003. Year-to-date, sales were down 6.8 percent, to 171,488 automobiles compared to 184,090 sold in the same period in 2003.

BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Sales

Sales of BMW's Sports Activity Vehicles increased 103 percent last month, with sales of 7,936 vehicles compared to 3,901 vehicles sold in November of 2003. Year-to-date, sales of BMW's SAV models were up 76 percent, to 63,109 vehicles compared to 35,859 for the same period in 2003.

Certified Pre-owned

BMW also reported monthly sales of 5,298 Certified Pre-owned vehicles up 12 percent compared to 4,731 vehicles that month in 2003. For the first eleven months of 2004, BMW CPO sales were up 8 percent to 65,029 vehicles over 60,167 a year ago.

MINI Brand

MINI Automobiles

MINI USA reported an increase of 5.3 percent in November sales, with 3,363 MINI automobiles compared to the 3,194 sold in the same month of 2003. Year- to-date, MINI sales were nearly level, with 32,222 cars compared to 32,005 sold a year ago.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the ROLLS-ROYCE brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers, 327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 76 MINI passenger car dealers, and 25 ROLLS-ROYCE Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.



BMW Car Sales Report for November 2004

2004 2003

November 12,796 17,991
Year-to-Date 171,488 184,090

Year-to- Year-to-
Model November Date November Date
2004 2004 2003 2003

325i 2,894 36,946 4,296 41,170
325Ci 375 6,997 494 6,964
325Ci Convertible 414 6,825 495 6,743
325i Sports Wagon 49 1,326 237 1,944
325xi 1,016 11,561 1,361 11,339
325xi Sports Wagon 121 1,272 147 1,771
330i 439 7,549 1,141 8,865
330Ci 307 5,058 344 5,563
330Ci Convertible 383 5,807 496 6,592
330xi 383 5,448 595 5,544
M3 272 4,275 407 4,227
M3 Convertible 185 2,916 193 3,096
3 Series 6,838 95,980 10,206 103,818
Z3 2.5 roadster (US) 0 0 0 105
Z3 3.0 roadster (US) 0 0 1 23
Z3 3.0 Coupe (US) 0 0 0 5
Z4 2.5i roadster (US) 216 7,609 900 10,799
Z4 3.0i roadster (US) 101 5,508 619 7,256
M roadster (US) 0 0 0 14
M Coupe (US) 0 0 0 2
Z3 and Z4 317 13,117 1,520 18,204
525i (E39) 0 0 52 14,080
525i Sports Wagon (E39) 0 19 25 1,169
525i (E60) 1,356 14,548 1,197 1,651
530i (E39) 0 0 20 14,762
530i (E60) 1,612 18,112 1,908 4,878
540i Sports Wagon (E39) 0 2 1 259
540i (E39) 0 0 7 3,632
545i (E60) 654 7,723 649 881
M5 (E39) 0 64 29 1,427
5 Series 3,622 40,468 3,888 42,739
645Ci 412 3,172 0 0
645Ci Convertible 468 4,064 0 0
6 Series 880 7,236 0 0
745i 331 4,776 724 6,114
745Li 760 9,357 1,545 12,143
760i 15 46 0 0
760Li 31 400 80 653
7 Series 1,137 14,579 2,349 18,910
Z8 0 7 3 175
Z8 Alpina 2 101 25 244
Z8 2 108 28 419


BMW Sports Activity Vehicle (light trucks) Sales Report for November 2004

2004 2003

November 7,936 3,901
Year-to-Date 63,109 35,859


Model Year-to- Year-to-
November Date November Date
2004 2004 2003 2003

X3 2.5i 2,451 18,840 0 0
X3 3.0i 2,060 13,641 0 0
X3 4,511 32,481 0 0
X5 3.0i (US) 2,324 21,822 2,602 26,336
X5 4.4i (US) 941 7,825 1,253 8,425
X5 4.6is (US) 0 23 46 1,098
X5 4.8is (US) 160 958 0 0
X5 3,425 30,628 3,901 35,859


MINI Sales Report for November 2004

2004 2003

November 3,363 3,194
Year-to-Date 32,222 32,005



Model Year-to- Year-to-
November Date November Date
2004 2004 2003 2003

MINI Cooper 1,042 15,189 1,561 17,623
MINI Cooper S 1,128 13,956 1,633 14,382
Cooper Convertible 711 1,668 0 0
Cooper S Convertible 482 1,409 0 0

Total MINI 3,363 32,222 3,194 32,005

 

Wow, that 3 series total is pretty bad - the 10K/mo from last year is the norm. I'd have to think a chunk of that loss must have gone to the TSX.
And after an uptick last month the 5 series is down below 4K again.

Like most other manufacturers, BMW is looking at models other than their mainline sedans to sustain the growth - I'm not sure how long that's going to work.

 

Those 3-Series numbers should be better come this time next year with the redesign of the 3-Series.

 

Those 3-Series numbers should be better come this time next year with the redesign of the 3-Series.

Also, the 6-series numbers should help BMW overall now that the model will have a full year to sell.

The 3-Series Pre-Owned numbers should improve even more. I have heard/read that 2002 was a good model year for the 3-Series. Those cars will be coming off lease in 2005.

 

VW has been going downhill for a while - their vehicles are pricey compared to the competition, quality is debatable, and lack of new models (or alternatively, knowledge that there are new models out there that will be available in North America in one to two years, cannibalizing current sales) are taking their toll.

What's amazing is that BMW, with similarly questionable quality, Bangle-ized styling and iDrive has managed to sell that many units. I guess status still manages to sell.

If I were Volkswagen, I'd be very concerned, especially with the new direction the Jetta is taking.

 

the coolness factor of vws have worn off a long time ago...they spend too much time/$$$$$$ in R&D trying to offer luxury vws like the W8 and phateon that never paid off. most likely it cannibalized some of the audi sales

 

Not to mention the ridiculous amount of money they poured into the Bugatti Veyron, that looks like it'll never make it to market.

 

I recall reading a while ago how the VW / Audi strategy was to have VW going head-to-head with M-B and Audi vs. BMW. Seemed silly to me at the time and it still does. VW should be aiming for Toyota/Honda. I can't forsee a time when anyone will ever equate "Volkswagen" with "Luxury". Their previous strategy along the lines of "German engineering on a budget" made a lot more sense.

 

Can't remember which mag it was (Dec Issue) but it was reported its coming to market next year. Only obstacle was high speed stability.

 

aiming for Honda????? are they dreaming????? I will rather drive a lawnmover from Honda than a Passat.

 

Haha...funny you should say that since a friend of mine is looking to get a Honda Accord after comparing one to a Passat.

 

VW has a few major flaws.

1) their design cycle is painfully long. The current Jetta has now been around for almost 7 years. Same thing with the Passat. The New Beetle is now 8 years old.

2) they've forgotten that Volkswagen means, "The People's Car." To which people they're trying to sell, I do not know.

3) they're adding weight to make the car seem more upscale and luxurious. In turn, they send over the Jetta, GTI, and Beetle with a 2.0L 120 hp engine as standard. Not that luxurious to me.

4) most importantly, they've destroyed their own reputation by allowing the dealerships and service centers to represent the company with some of the most piss-poor customer service I've ever encountered (see VWVortex for more horror stories). It's a shame, I recall when VW really did make some enjoyable cars.

The saying I always had during the tenure of my ownership was, "I love driving my Volkswagen, but I hate owning it." It's sad, indeed.

 

That sounded like my motto!

 

My Jetta VR6 was so much fun to drive (better than my current Civic Si), but it was an owner's nightmare. I only had the car for 13 months, and in that time it had been to the dealership for repair 10 times (at least). I had seven window regulator failures, two MAF sensor failures, two changeover valve failures, and I developed a strange oil leak toward the end there...

 

over 200,000 new bimmers.

rich bastards

me --> <-- rich bastards

 

And 195,000 happy bank loan officers.

 

Honda in 2005 I think will see a sales drop for the aging crappy Civic and ugly Accord, while Acura and Honda SUVs continue to do well. Accord sales are already on a decline. I don't think the hybrid will help Accord sales that much, but saying this VW has aging designs, while Honda has a few aging designs and bland looking cars.

 

Not going to comment on the VW, we all know there is some identity crisis there. But BMW's sales #. Damn! That's huge!

 

VW marketing is loosing steam... it used to be the cool people that drove VWs, the sensible and affordable German precision. But since Mexico plants seem to butcher the assembly, and engineers not simplifying design scheme to untangle the assembly. I've yet to hear VW make any major changes to quality management or integrated engineering/assembly.

Moving upmarket is inevitable, but they didn't need the Phaton...

The engine sizes are excusable, since they are marketing most of their cars worldwide, where, unlike the US, people prefer frugal engines over power most of the time.

Junkster, whose fave VW was the Scirocco

 

I don't think Mexico has anything to do with it (hell, they're robots and Mexicans probably have better work ethic than Germans...) considering that they're robotically assembled. Beyond that, taking into account my own personal experience, my wife's Mexican beetle was outstanding, and the one gem out of the four VW's I've owned.

 

Just because it's robotic construction doesn't mean that human labor doesn't factor in. There are operators that keep an eye on quality of fit and finish. And German engineering isn't known for simplicity either, so it's a key issue to keep track of quality management. Germans take pride in their work, from the engineers to the factory assembly workers, especially when it's a badge that is of importance to nationalism in that country.

I've heard of three plant strikes in the last three years in Mexico, and seems of late that VW is considering US factories.

I think it's engineering that's at fault, I'm guessing. Complex construction never helps in reliability.

Junkster, who remembers learning about TQM

 

VW is only considering US factories for the Touareg and any other vehicle which is specific for the US mkt. I think that complexity in engineering does play a part in the failures, as does VW's decision to use cheap plastic for mechanical parts that have a high liklihood of breaking. One example - VW used plastic clips on the window regulators to push the windows up. One of the most common failures people had was this clip breaking, and thus you were left with your window stuck in the door. After three model years of this plastic clip, VW upgraded it to pot metal. The harsh reality was that there were so many failures that the new part went on backorder status almost immediately (I waited for two months for my two clips to arrive, with two non-working windows).

Also, in regards to my statement about quality control in one country versus another, I didn't mean to imply that the Germans' work ethic was somehow lower than the Mexicans, but I do know that comparitively speaking the Mexican workers are earning higher than average salaries for the area. Also, I think a lot of what VW owners experience is component failure, not related to build quality. Items like that are not made in Mexico, rather the cars are just assembled there. I think that says a lot.

 

The Civic is the prime example of this. It still sells well, but it's not that great in light of the competition.

 

First let me say that I will be an ass and sticky this thread because it was an automotive highlight for me...so whoever is moderating in my absence can decide to unsticky it soon.

I promised that I'd write back after my return from Europe, but this is an experience that I must share with you so I took some time to log in and explain, while in Europe.

On the plane from Chicago Ohare to Munich, Germany, and I am very lucky to be flying business class and experiencing the new seats that Lufthansa Airlines has implemented (flat beds, master remote control, etc.).

I am reading Road and Track mag and the passenger beside me asks me about my relationship with the industry. To cut a long story short, this guy is a big wig for a roof-making vendor. He said, they make the Mini Cabrio roofs and other prominent makes (he said he drives a 911 4S). After a long discussion he informs me that this particular plane is full of people from the automotive world, all returning from the Detroit Auto Show. At that time (a week ago or so) the show was not open to the public yet.

So he goes: "actually, this is the CEO of BMW" pointing 2 rows ahead. We were sitting in the first business class row so first class was the two first rows ahead of us, so it was easily viewable.

You can imagine how I felt about being in the same plane with Mr. Panke on the way to Munich

Fast forward to the end of the trip (nine hours later) and so it happens that while exiting the plane, I am behind him. So I find myslef walking behind him in the airport. He is thin, about 6.3 tall, wearing tight jeans (yes) and a blue Ralph Lauren button-shirt. Very casual. The only thing betraying he is not in his 30s is the white hair.

Note that it is now 6 AM Germany time...

Me: Excuse me sir.
Panke (stops, turns and very positive): yes (he's already extending his hand for a handshake).
Me: You're Mr. Panke, with BMW, right?
Panke: Yes.
Me: I wanted to say "thanks for providing the "ultimate driving machine" to America".

You could see a true smile in his face now.

Panke: Are you returning from "the show" ?
Me: No. I am a fan of the industry. I work for the IT industry.
Panke: For what company?
Me: Oracle
Panke: Really? You guys are now so big that every serious company needs your products, so you're like...cars in a way (smiling).
Me: (Thinking: I am not here to talk about Oracle, so I got to change the subject back to cars).
Me: So, you're returning from the show?
Panke: Yes. I just went there for the day, to do my presentation.

Anyway, we started talking about cars and BMW while walking towards the customs.

I asked him about the show. He said, he is very glad to see "the Americans" this year, emphasizing CARS again and not trucks. And that they are now starting to emphasize economy (gas consumption). Probably referring to GM's fuel cell concept and others.

I said, well...about the car emphasis from American manufacturers, isnt that bad for BMW? Smilling... He said: Well, no. We welcome competition because it makes us better. Plus, one cannot "copy" another. IN a way he was saying that, no one can build a true BMW. He sounded very confident about that. I wonder what Lutz thinks about that and even Gohsn.

I asked him about BMW's plans for the future. What about a pickup truck? He said, no way, in so many words. THe main reason is because you cant make a pickup be sporty (I wonder what Ford and now Dodge even, thinks about that). Which is exactly what we know from other (real)interviews from Autoweek and possibly others.

Then we came to, in my opinion, highlight of the conversation: I went: What about a minivan for the North American market? I could see right away that there was a story there to tell. He started by saying that there is a "big debate internally right now". He continued talking about this question for some time. In the end though it was more about body language. While winking just before the conversation ended, he said, "but I think we will win the debate on this one". Bottom line he said, I want to see a BMW minivan, but there are nay-sayers within but I think we will win the fight.

At that point we reached the customs and we had to separate so he politely said, it was nice talking to you, shook my hand and I wished him luck.

I still cant believe that I had the opportunity to actually talk to the BMW chief at 6 AM in the morning in a real, informal convo.

I had to share with you all...

 

Nice...you should have asked him some more about his thoughts on Infiniti's recent return to the international scene and how competitive they are with BMW.

 

Wow, that is big news gavrill, quite the opportunity.

Although I'm not sure what made you ask about a BMW pickup, I could have told you there will never be one

It would have been great if you could have asked him what he thought about their new styling direction, that would have been an interesting answer.

 

If I had time, my next question would have been about Bangle and the "design-controversy" within. Infiniti does not seem to be an issue for him.

 

WOWOOW that's cool

 

A BMW pickup has been rumored for at least two years now.

 

Cool indeed.

 

Talk about serendipity...

Cool.

 

Indeed.

I was just telling my sister "no one will believe this actually happened to me, they will think I am making it up"

 

He's right. Companies have spent many years trying, but no one has duplicated that BMW "feel" yet. Infiniti has come close, but their cars so far lack that certain something that makes a BMW what it is. Maybe the new M will be the one that changes that.

 

wow i wouldnt even know what to say to him.

 

It is probably the minivan disguised to look like a pickup truck

 

If it does come out, BMW will not market it as a minivan - they'll come up with some term, like their X3 is not an SUV but an SAV.

Biker, who was in business class with Mini Me on a flight to Auckland and thought that the huge seat (relative to his size) was a waste.

 

I would have said Say mang.. can you hook me up with an M5 on the chiz-eep dude...



JK cool story..

 

As far as the Americans not being able to build a BMW, I'd agree mainly for one reason.

I think a big part of what makes a BMW a BMW is the damping rates and steering boost BMW uses. They've been able to perfect a "feel" across their model lines that can be instantly attributed to BMW.

Right now, American cars are under-damped and overboosted, creating the vague boulevardier cruisers older Americans are used to driving.

GM is starting to get away from this with Cadillac but I think they have a long way to go with the rest of their products.

The simplest way for GM to start building an American BMW is to incorporate Opel's setups into the USDM vehicles. It will be interesting to see how the Saturn Aura rides considering its heritage.

As far as Chrysler goes, I think Chrysler has a huge advantage in that they can gradually pick and choose from Mercedes-Benz chassis setups to apply to USDM cars. I think a good example of this is the 300C. While no one is going to confuse a C320 with a 330i, there is a definite Germanic feel to the C-Class that the Stratus doesn't have, for example.

Ford, however, is a mess. I don't know what they are going to do to narrow the gap between themselves and GM/Chrysler. Their lack of a cohesive plan (or at least a seemingly cohesive one) is going to hurt them. They simply cannot continue to build floaty landbarges and expect to compete.

The problem for Ford is that Jaguar is not known for being a driver's car. Until Ford bought Jaguar it was an eclectic British marque with a lot of style and a lot of electrical problems.

If I ran Ford, I'd immediately reposition Lincoln as a driver-oriented brand. Let Mercury fulfill the blue-hairs and those looking for soft rides. I'd try to place Lincoln in the same arena as Caddy is doing right now with the CTS, STS, and XLR ...

Would it work? I don't know. I do think there is still some residual goodwill towards Lincoln. The Zephyr is a mistake of the same magnitude as the X-Type was for Jaguar. If the 3-series is the target, then an underpowered AWD sedan with no character is a complete waste of time and resources.

 

Pretty awesome Gav.

 

nice gav, no cameraphone pics?