Over in the United States, the first quarter wasn’t kind to the big three premium automakers from Germany. The peeps at BMW of North America finished with 73,714 deliveries, Mercedes USA reported 62,251 deliveries, and the Volkswagen Group’s Audi of America totaled 35,505 deliveries.
The Stuttgart-based automaker improved slightly in the second quarter, moving 79,105 vehicles, excluding 19,730 vans. BMW of North America finished in second place with 78,905 vehicles under its belt, excluding 5,131 vehicles from MINI. Audi of America delivered 48,048 vehicles, which is a little bit underwhelming for the four-ringed automaker from Ingolstadt.
“While inventory challenges continued to affect second-quarter sales, consumer demand – especially for electric vehicles – is strong and growing.” Daniel Weissland, the president of Audi of America, is perfectly right. Dealers rarely have sufficient cars for everyone in the market for a brand-new ride, and the used market is crazier than ever because of the ongoing chip shortage. “We are pleased that demand remains strong. However, this quarter was not without its challenges, as our sales were constricted only by the limitations of available inventory,” added Sebastian Mackensen, president and chief executive officer at BMW of North America.
“Our customer demand remains high, especially the desire for fully electric vehicles which we will continue to introduce throughout the year” concluded Dimitris Psillakis, big kahuna of Mercedes-Benz USA. "The expansion of our electric portfolio with three new models over the next six months, including utility vehicles and additional AMG models, will assist our dealers in welcoming more customers to the Mercedes-Benz family."
As opposed to General Motors, Tesla, and Toyota, all three premium automakers from Germany haven’t run out of federal tax credits. Ford, on the other hand, is quickly approaching the 200,000 cap that’s followed by a gradual phaseout of the $7,500 federal tax credit. According to data from the Internal Revenue Service, the Blue Oval sold approximately 160,000 plug-in vehicles by the end of 2021, including 33,000 units in 2021 alone.
“While inventory challenges continued to affect second-quarter sales, consumer demand – especially for electric vehicles – is strong and growing.” Daniel Weissland, the president of Audi of America, is perfectly right. Dealers rarely have sufficient cars for everyone in the market for a brand-new ride, and the used market is crazier than ever because of the ongoing chip shortage. “We are pleased that demand remains strong. However, this quarter was not without its challenges, as our sales were constricted only by the limitations of available inventory,” added Sebastian Mackensen, president and chief executive officer at BMW of North America.
“Our customer demand remains high, especially the desire for fully electric vehicles which we will continue to introduce throughout the year” concluded Dimitris Psillakis, big kahuna of Mercedes-Benz USA. "The expansion of our electric portfolio with three new models over the next six months, including utility vehicles and additional AMG models, will assist our dealers in welcoming more customers to the Mercedes-Benz family."
As opposed to General Motors, Tesla, and Toyota, all three premium automakers from Germany haven’t run out of federal tax credits. Ford, on the other hand, is quickly approaching the 200,000 cap that’s followed by a gradual phaseout of the $7,500 federal tax credit. According to data from the Internal Revenue Service, the Blue Oval sold approximately 160,000 plug-in vehicles by the end of 2021, including 33,000 units in 2021 alone.