BMW Group Achieves Best-Ever August Global Sales

[simplybuyanycar]

1. Worldwide 165,431 vehicles delivered, up 5.7%
2. Year-to-date sales rise 5.5%: 1,508,659 vehicles sold
3. BMW deliveries up 5.0% in August: 142,554 vehicles
4. MINI sells 22,575 in August, increase of 10.3%
5. Europe and Asia maintain strong growth
6. YTD sales of BMW electrified models already exceed 2015 total

Source News: http://www.bmwusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=2790&mid=

[CaptainStark]

Meanwhile, BMW USA sales are down 8% month over month for August.

Some people in management have to be sweating their jobs, and rightfully so.

[BimmerBreaker]

Meanwhile, BMW USA sales are down 8% month over month for August.

Some people in management have to be sweating their jobs, and rightfully so.

Must be because they dont offer beige interiors, right?

[CaptainStark]

Its because they don't meet the needs of enough of their customers, even those wanting beige. As a customer, I forked out an extra $2000 to get a custom color. Rather than have the software identify any new orders under that coding and stop the order until we understood the changes, they saw fit to build the car the way they wanted and ship it to my dealer. This buyer rejected the vehicle. The dealer is left to sell it to someone who likes their choices.

They failed to meet my needs as a buyer and, based on their sales data, I am not the only one. I was a buyer willing to spend the time and put in the effort to order exactly what I wanted. My dealer confirmed my choices were correct but even my dealer was not able to get confirmation from BMW USA that the choices made through cryptic coding would yield the car we wanted. BMW USA refuses to get their old model year information replaced by the new model year data when orders only yield new model year vehicles. BMW USA failed my dealer. Then, the car arrived. It took the dealer 5 days to get a response out of the factory as to what happened. And their response was basically, "take it or leave it." That's easy to say once the car is off the factory lot and in the dealer compound.

The key to success in business is to remain responsive to the needs of the buyer, especially buyers interested in higher end products. I know the tastes and peculiarities of high end home buyers because many were my neighbors. If a house offered for sale was not exactly perfect, a potential buyer would rather build their own. Same with cars. But, BMW no longer offers options that attract enough buyers. And that is what the nearly 20% drop in USA sales vs BMW World shows.

[BimmerBreaker]

But what explains the nearly 6% worldwide growth then?

[CaptainStark]

BMW is meeting the needs of the worldwide customer! That is how you are successful! How much larger would that 6% be with positive growth in the US market? I bet the BMW headquarters guys know the answer.

In the US, the market for BMW shows a serious dip for August. Whether that is because of the decay in the US economy or other competing brands out there, I don't have that data. BMW may be rendering itself "irrelevant" with new customers like Cadillac did in the late 70's, early 80's. Now, all the kids want Escalades. Re-imaging the GM flagship brand has taken billions and a couple decades to repair. I don't know many younger kids who can afford higher end cars because they have huge school debts and don't have the disposable income. I am seeing 3-Series lease ads here in Phoenix for $230 a month. That is Camry country. That tells you they are taking a beating on what should be the entry level BMW all kids should want to drive. Now the 1 Series is competing with the 3 and the whole brand is blurred. I may be wrong but, I think you are about to see a huge change in the whole USA offering. The X7 Luxo-Boat is coming out in a couple years and the X5 will be built on that platform, along with the 7 Series. This is the type consolidation you saw in GM a decade ago. Once they get the number of offerings down, they may open up more options (like beige ) but it seems as though there is a lot of pain coming between now and then, like what we saw following 2008.

[BimmerBreaker]

Go in and try to get a 3 series for $230/month, they will conveniently be out of stock of the cars at those lease rates... I used to work in the car industry, those ads are a bait and switch.

BMW has seen an increase in sales every year for 5 years running, if 2016 breaks that trend maybe you should get on the phone with BMW and tell them its because they dont offer beige.

[angeleye540i]

It's because of the sad truth that some Companies are out-BMWing BMW now... Like Dare I say even Lexus in some respects... Man I can't believe I just said that

[CaptainStark]

BB,

You were in the industry. How about you explain this then... When the whole company is seeing sales growth, how could US sales be off by nearly 20% over the same period?

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...ust-2016-Sales

Ray