For the month of September 2016, both BMW and Mercedes-Benz reported record sales around the world.
The BMW Group says it achieved global sales of 237 973 units, an increase of 10,5% year-on-year, with 197 419 of those coming from the BMW brand itself. Mini, meanwhile, reported its best-ever month, with 40 164 units sold (the first time the brand has broken the 40 000 barrier).
And Mercedes-Benz? Well, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer cracked the 200 000-mark for the first time in September, delivering a record 211 286 vehicles (up 12,1%) to customers around the world. Along with the 13 987 units contributed by the Smart brand, Mercedes-Benz Cars totalled 225 273 sales.
But which of these two German automakers is leading the global luxury sales race in 2016?
Well, if one looks at the two brands themselves (thus excluding Mini, Rolls-Royce, BMW Motorrad and Smart), Mercedes-Benz is ahead by about 58 000 vehicles with 1 537 921 units sold in the first nine months of the year, compared to the 1 479 936 delivered by BMW (as an aside, Audi sits in third place, with 1 408 800 vehicles sold).
That picture, though, changes when looking at the two groups (including the sub-brands). In this case, Mercedes-Benz Cars has moved a total of 1 643 616 units, some 103 000 units behind the BMW Group, which has sold 1 746 638 vehicles. Take note, however, that BMW Motorrad contributed 116 044 sales, so if two-wheeled vehicles were excluded, the balance swings yet again…
