BMW opened its U.S. premium-vehicle sales lead slightly over Mercedes-Benz in October; the Bavarians now lead Mercedes by 533 vehicles heading into the last two months of 2015.
Although BMW sold more luxury vehicles in October than any of its rivals, however, deliveries of BMW premium vehicles dropped 3.8% compared to October 2014. But despite a decline in October's year-over-year numbers, there were some bright spots. BMW X3 sales leaped 88.1 percent to 3.028 units sold, while its larger sibling, the X5, increased sales 27.9 percent to 4,292 SAVs delivered.
“Trends in the luxury vehicle market are becoming more evident with the October sales another indicator of how important Sports Activity Vehicles are becoming to our market segment,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “With the all-new BMW X1 just now going on sale and availability of the always popular X3 and X5 improving, we expect good growth in the final two months of the year.”
A total of 29,439 units left BMW dealerships in October—Minis don’t count—bringing the year-to-date number of BMWs sold to 279,395. Daimler only delivered 28,592 units in October, so at this point in 2015, it has sold 278,842 Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Meanwhile, Lexus, which had been charging hard throughout the year, had a good October. Its new NX small SUV sold well, as did the outgoing version of its best-selling RX model. Lexus sales jumped 13 percent to 26,436 for October, bringing it to 273,881 for the year so far.
Between now and the end of the year, it's BMW's championship to win or lose, given the launch of BMW’s latest version of the X1 as well as increased availability of the X3 and X5. But Mercedes-Benz can't be counted out and Lexus’ new RX could make a difference. Relatively cheap gasoline and affordable credit and lease rates are helping to fuel the sustained growth of the luxury car market. Combine this with BMW and Daimler offering less-expensive, entry-level premium cars and SUVs, and the stage is set for a down-to-the-wire photo finish at the end of December.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
