The combination of traditional high-performance luxury cars, Sport Activity Vehicles, Minis, and motorcycles seems to be working in the BMW Group’s favor: The company hit record sales in July. A total of 163,959 vehicles were delivered worldwide, 7.6% more than the same month last year. Year-to-date worldwide sales were also the best ever with 1,184,170 vehicles sold so far in 2014.
But is the BMW Group on track to hit the 2,000,000 yearly sales goal it set for itself?
“We are pleased to see the excellent sales results of the first half-year continuing into July,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW. “Our focus is on ensuring our sales remain balanced worldwide and we are confident that our strong vehicle line-up will enable us to achieve this. The success of our new vehicles such as the BMW X4, which went on sale in July, demonstrates that we are providing our customers with what they want.” Summing up the global sales situation and looking ahead to the rest of 2014, Robertson added, “We are confident that our positive sales momentum will continue, ensuring we will sell more than two million cars this year with a clear focus on profitable growth.”
BMW brand sales led the way with 139,999 vehicles delivered in July. This was the first month for customer deliveries of the new BMW X4, while X5 sales of 79,537 was 31 percent higher than July 2013. Mini has turned around with record July sales as well, selling 24,259 Minis worldwide. Not to be left out BMW Motorrad also had its best July ever, delivering 11,661 motorcycles and maxi-scooters.
U.S. sales for the first seven months of 2014 totaled 213,754 vehicles, an increase of 5.4 percent over the same period in 2013.
While BMW is well on its way to meeting its 2,000,000 sales goal, it should be looking over its shoulder. Both Audi and Mercedes-Benz have vowed to take away BMW’s crown as the world’s best-selling luxury carmaker, and both posted larger percentage sales increases in July than the BMW Group did. In fact, for the year to date, Audi is only 12,397 cars behind BMW.
Perhaps the battle with Audi and BMW Group’s overall sales goal will generate some new-car sales incentives later in the year. We can only hope.—Scott Blazey
