Photo: bmw
Last month, the BMW Group managed to post the best numbers ever recorded by the company in November in its near 100 years of history. However, as impressive as all this might sound, they are being cornered by their eternal rivals, as we speak.
Mercedes-Benz and Audi are closing in on the number one spot in the premium segment and the numbers show it. Last month, BMW sold 158,953 cars which translates into a 6 percent increase over the same period of 2013.
At the same time, Audi sold 146,250 units while Mercedes-Benz posted even better numbers at 150,742. In percentages, the Audi growth reach 11 points while Mercedes grew by 13 percent and, as you can tell, they are a lot better than what BMW managed.
That means that the Munich-based company could see its position threatened after 10 years of leading this ad-hoc podium of who sells more premium cars. Things are going the same way in the year-to-date sales too.
So far, BMW sold 1.63 million cars which is just around 43,000 cars more than runner-up Audi that managed to deliver 1.59 million vehicles over the first 11 months of the year. Coming in hot in third place is Mercedes-Benz that bit a sizable chunk out of the 177,000 cars that separated it from the Bavarians a year ago.
After posting impressive numbers this November, the three-pointed start manufacturer is now just 147,000 cars behind the number one brand, sales reaching 1.49 million units in 2014 so far.
"Premium demand looks set to remain strong as Mercedes has rejuvenated its fleet and Audi will start doing so next year," said Stefan Bratzel, head of the Center of Automotive Management think-tank near Cologne, Germany for Automotive News Europe. "There will be no let-up in the luxury competition," he added.
The current rankings have been in place since 2011 when Audi stepped in front of Mercedes-Benz. Previous to that, it was in 2005 when BMW became the best selling premium brand, stealing the crown from Mercedes-Benz.
At the same time, Audi sold 146,250 units while Mercedes-Benz posted even better numbers at 150,742. In percentages, the Audi growth reach 11 points while Mercedes grew by 13 percent and, as you can tell, they are a lot better than what BMW managed.
That means that the Munich-based company could see its position threatened after 10 years of leading this ad-hoc podium of who sells more premium cars. Things are going the same way in the year-to-date sales too.
So far, BMW sold 1.63 million cars which is just around 43,000 cars more than runner-up Audi that managed to deliver 1.59 million vehicles over the first 11 months of the year. Coming in hot in third place is Mercedes-Benz that bit a sizable chunk out of the 177,000 cars that separated it from the Bavarians a year ago.
After posting impressive numbers this November, the three-pointed start manufacturer is now just 147,000 cars behind the number one brand, sales reaching 1.49 million units in 2014 so far.
"Premium demand looks set to remain strong as Mercedes has rejuvenated its fleet and Audi will start doing so next year," said Stefan Bratzel, head of the Center of Automotive Management think-tank near Cologne, Germany for Automotive News Europe. "There will be no let-up in the luxury competition," he added.
The current rankings have been in place since 2011 when Audi stepped in front of Mercedes-Benz. Previous to that, it was in 2005 when BMW became the best selling premium brand, stealing the crown from Mercedes-Benz.
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