BMW sales in January 2016 were down 4.7% compared to January a year ago; a total of 18,082 BMWs were delivered last month, while in January 2015, 18,981 BMWs went out the door. Winter storms may have contributed to the downturn, as auto sales across the board in the U.S. were down in January.
"As expected, January suffered a bit from the strong storms that froze large parts of the country," said Ludwig Willisch, president and CEO of BMW of North America. “In spite of the obstacles, the new BMW X1 showed extraordinary growth and our 7 Series and X3 set the momentum we expect to continue in the year ahead.”
If new car buyers balked at buying cars because of winter weather, they didn’t hesitate to by all-wheel drive BMW Sports Activity Vehicles. Sales of the new BMW X1 jumped up 274.0 percent over last year and BMW X3 deliveries increased by 49.3 percent. Top-of-the-line luxury car buyers also came out in force. The new BMW 7 Series saw a 33.0 percent increase over a year ago.
Total BMW Group sales, including both BMW and Mini, totaled 21,230 vehicles in January, a 4.0 percent decline from the 22,209 units delivered last January.
Pre-owned BMW sales were also down, with 13,743 finding new homes in January. Pre-owned Mini sales were up as 1,853 were delivered.
Predictably, BMW motorcycle and scooter sales were way down. Only 450 bikes were sold as opposed to 651 in January 2015.
Industry observers were speculating that 2016 might prove harder on car companies after a record-setting 2015. It’s too soon to tell what’s in store for the entire year, but this slightly slower start for BMW might be an indicator. Let’s hope not.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
