At the risk of sounding like a broken record, BMW Group sales in the U.S. have broken another record.
Sales of BMW automobiles totaled 30,602 units, a record for October and up 11 percent over the same month last year. Total BMW sales so far in 2014 reached 267,193, a 12 percent increase from the same period in 2013.
Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America had reason to be happy, saying, “The momentum is still with us as shown by back-to-back monthly records for BMW in October and September. Our new models, especially the 2 and 4 Series, are giving BMW a great boost as we head into the final two months of the year but I am also very pleased to see our born-electric BMW i3 doing so well, averaging a thousand per month in sales after only four months on the market.”
The BMW Group in the U.S., which comprises BMW and Mini, reported 35,902 units delivered in October, a 7.9 percent increase over October 2013. Total combined sales of BMW and Mini were 311,681 for the first ten months of 2014.
Not all segments had cause for celebration, however. October sales of BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles, including Certified Pre-Owned, were off by 1.5 percent. Mini sales were down 7 percent from last October and down 19.6 percent year-to-date over 2013. Mini Pre-Owned car sales were also lower for October by 3.7 percent.
BMW motorcycle and scooter sales were excellent. The 1,215 bikes sold in October constituted a 13.9 percent increase over last year.
While October was a great month for BMW-branded sales, we have not yet seen how October treated Mercedes-Benz. At the end of September, BMW held a small lead in premium car U.S. sales over their main German competitor.—Scott Blazey
Update: Mercedes-Benz had good sales in October but not good enough. BMW leads Mercedes-Benz in 2014 premium car sales in the U.S. by 5.389 units through the end of October.
