BMW Group North America Shatters All Past Annual Sales Recor

[ikon2003]

well, back to the topic.... it looks like ppl are actually liking some of the new styling of bimmer, and it hasn't pushed away consumers. hopefully this'll get them in better financial situations.

[ferrarif1fan89]

Originally Posted by mv It seems that Americans are obsessed with the 2.5l

it is the base engine on many of the models sold here (3, 5, x3, z4) and since it is the cheapest model, many americans can afford it. and many people are apposed to having "just" 150 horspower, or less, in a premium car. and it is a great engine.

[Sir_GT]

Originally Posted by ikon2003 well, back to the topic.... it looks like ppl are actually liking some of the new styling of bimmer, and it hasn't pushed away consumers. hopefully this'll get them in better financial situations.

BMW AG aren't worried about their financial situation at all. According to Fortune magazine, they are the most profitable company in Germany. DaimlerChrysler themselves are doing as much as they can to try matching BMW's net returns.

[Just_me]

This is profits for BMW vs Mercedes since 1999. When BMw got rid of Rover, it went straight way up to heaven.



and here is sales for BMW worldwide. BMw have never sold over one millons bimmers before, but 2004 they succeded.

2004 Global sales

BMW Group: 1.208.724 (+9,4%)
BMW: 1.023.525 (+10,3%)
MINI: 184.357 (+4,5%)
Rolls-Royce: 792 (2003 sales: 300)

X3: 92.267
6-series: 21.043
1-series: 39.247 (from 9/18)
5-series: 229.539 (+23,8%; BMW sales goal was 190.000 units!!!)

Source: BMW Press

This is the first time BMW have sold over one millions bimmers.
I belive next year will be great year too.
Then BMw will offer new engines, Touring for 5-series and AWD and M5 too.
There will be a new 3-series and maybe a few more engines for 1-series.

BMw are doing well, despite a new design era.

[ikon2003]

Originally Posted by Sir_GT Originally Posted by ikon2003 well, back to the topic.... it looks like ppl are actually liking some of the new styling of bimmer, and it hasn't pushed away consumers. hopefully this'll get them in better financial situations. BMW AG aren't worried about their financial situation at all. According to Fortune magazine, they are the most profitable company in Germany. DaimlerChrysler themselves are doing as much as they can to try matching BMW's net returns.

Financial Times (UK based publication) last year wrote a pretty big article on the instability of BMW's finances. Even if they're profitable, they have such a complex system of R&D (and with all the development lately, it's easy to see why...new models, engines etc) that it's hampering their potential.

[bmwmpower]

Originally Posted by Just_me This is profits for BMW vs Mercedes since 1999. When BMw got rid of Rover, it went straight way up to heaven. and here is sales for BMW worldwide. BMw have never sold over one millons bimmers before, but 2004 they succeded. 2004 Global sales BMW Group: 1.208.724 (+9,4%) BMW: 1.023.525 (+10,3%) MINI: 184.357 (+4,5%) Rolls-Royce: 792 (2003 sales: 300) X3: 92.267 6-series: 21.043 1-series: 39.247 (from 9/18) 5-series: 229.539 (+23,8%; BMW sales goal was 190.000 units!!!) Source: BMW Press This is the first time BMW have sold over one millions bimmers. I belive next year will be great year too. Then BMw will offer new engines, Touring for 5-series and AWD and M5 too. There will be a new 3-series and maybe a few more engines for 1-series. BMw are doing well, despite a new design era.

please if its possible post some numbers about M cars and sale

[ikon2003]

Wow, this is a really weird coincidence.... after reading this thread and posting what i posted, last night b4 i went to bed, i picked up a Wall Street Journal from a couple days ago: Mon, Jan10th, 2005 - Front Cover, Top Fold:

"BMW's Push to Broaden Line Hits Some Bumps in the Road."

Exactly what i was talking about. Summary of article: Bimmer did very well, but still have a lot of problems to work out, and future doesn't look as rosy as they thought it could be. some quotes

"BMW's vehicle sales have soared 34%. But signs of trouble are cropping up, raising questions about whether the strategy will prove successful in the long run. The new curvy styling is turning off some longstanding fans.... As a result, the new-look 5 and 7 series are slumping inthe US, BMW's biggest market. Another sign something isn't working: BMW in the past year has resorted to something luxury-car makers loathe - price cutting."

then a bunch of graphs showing declining (US) sales of new-design models after they were introduced

"BMW is only the world's 14th-largest car maker in 2003" (just fyi)

"The new electronics have caused problems. Frustrations with the iDrive control system lead some owners to call it "why Drive" or "iDunno." Glitches in other components sent customers back to dealers again and again in search of fixes, denting BMW's reputation for quality. In a recent issue of Consumer Reports, not a single BMW was judged reliable enough to make the magazine's 2005 recommended list."

"BMW finished 2004 with mixed results in the US market. US sales of BMW branded vehicles rose 8%, but thanks only to the new X3 SUV. Without that vehicle, sales would have fallen 6%. The brand new 5 series suffered a 3% drop. That's a jarring reception for a car that rivals routinely admit to using as a benchmark when designing their own luxury models. Sales of the Bangle-designed 7 Series and Z4 roadster fell 21% and 33% respectively.

Facing less-than robust demand, BMW has had to prime sales with profit eating incentives. It subsidized leasing deals on the X3 for most of the year. In December it held a year-end clearance sale in the US, the first time it's ever done so. Recently a $5,000 rebate was offered on the Z4 roadster through a promotion run by American Express Co."

WSJ article written by Neal E Boudette

ikon - that's what I pointed out earlier. Notice the significant drops in sales after the initial release.

[ikon2003]

^yup, exactly. in spite of the record sales, things actually don't look that rosy for BMW, and i think they got quite a bit to worry about. Esp. since the backbone of the company rests primarily on the 3 series, which we'll see soon in its new incarnation. A lot will depend on that.

I kno a lot of cars go into that decreased sales slump after initial release (H2 was a big one) - but the unfortunate thing for bimmer was that its 5 series sales had been increasing consecutively for the 3 previous years before the new model was introduced.

Originally Posted by ikon2003 ^yup, exactly. in spite of the record sales, things actually don't look that rosy for BMW, and i think they got quite a bit to worry about. Esp. since the backbone of the company rests primarily on the 3 series, which we'll see soon in its new incarnation. A lot will depend on that. I kno a lot of cars go into that decreased sales slump after initial release (H2 was a big one) - but the unfortunate thing for bimmer was that its 5 series sales had been increasing consecutively for the 3 previous years before the new model was introduced.

Yeah exactly. Well, the H2 was primarily boosted by the Celebrity fame. Or so call Hype.

But yeah, if I remember correctly the E36 sales were doing quite well, all the way up to the introduction of the E46. So I am not surprise that the E39 was doing well the last three years.

Remember that "hype" often dies down after the initial year or two. So it all depends on how well the design wears over the years.

I think the current cars don't look bad, but at the same time I don't think they look great. They definitely look modern. But the key will be in the 6th or 7th year, will it still look good?

[ikon2003]

^and the sad part is that the 5 series never even got its "hype" boost. for whatever melange of reasons.