If we were to sum up BMW’s market strategy right now, we’d say they are offering more of everything, while Mercedes is offering just more of only its core, its best. There are no gap-fillers between the C- and E-Class, no endless derivatives of the same vehicle. What Mercedes does have, however, is a new four-door coupe called the CLA, and it seems to be the key to its success.
What was a really close race at the beginning of the year is now a one horse affair, as Daimler’s lead over BMW in US sales is growing. Freshly released data shows almost 5000 examples of the CLA have been sold in October. Total Mercedes figures for the month were 30,069 cars, 25% up on last year, which just goes to show what the huge impact the CLA is having. By comparison, BMW saw its sales rise just 4.2 percent to 27,574 vehicles last month.
But the figure everybody BMW and Mercedes officials are looking at right now are the yearly totals, which shows Daimler leading by about 5,000 vehicles: 245,125 to 240,139. With only two months to go, the three pointed star looks set to end Bayerische Motoren Werke’s two-year reign at the top of the sales charts.
But the figure everybody BMW and Mercedes officials are looking at right now are the yearly totals, which shows Daimler leading by about 5,000 vehicles: 245,125 to 240,139. With only two months to go, the three pointed star looks set to end Bayerische Motoren Werke’s two-year reign at the top of the sales charts.