BMW, boosted by the success of the new 7-Series, looks set to pass Lexus as the best-selling luxury brand in the US – the biggest car market in world.
BMW, boosted by the success of the new 7-Series, looks set to pass Lexus as the best-selling luxury brand in the US – the biggest car market in world.
During the first four months of the year, the Munich-based manufacturer sold 78 386 units compared to Lexus’s 75 164. Toyota’s luxury brand has led US sales in the top bracket for the past two years. And BMW has never been the outright leader.
BMW has in recent years “introduced lots of new models, staggered over time, and kept their lineup new,” Alan Baum, an analyst for Michigan-based automotive forecasting firm Planning Edge, told . “They’ve been impressive.”
Gains of 55 per cent for the recently launched 7-Series and 14 per cent for the X5 sport-utility vehicle introduced last year have helped BMW.
That builds on an expansion that saw BMW sales double in five years, reaching an annual total of 213 127 vehicles by 2001.
The US increases are contributing to the BMW’s expectations that it will sell more than a million vehicles this year and exceed 2001’s record profit and sales.
“We’re working flat out in most of our plants,” BMW North America Chief Executive Officer Tom Purves said in an interview. “We’re ahead of our own plans this year and if we keep running at this pace we’ll probably ask for more cars from other markets.”
BMW has taken the lead in the US even as Lexus sales rose 6,9 per cent in April compared to the same period last year. DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz models increased eight per cent to 68 694 units.
The introduction of the new Mercedes E-Class sedans in the third quarter may tighten the competition among BMW, Lexus and the DaimlerChrysler unit, said Wes Brown, an analyst at California-based Nextrend, which studies consumer trends for car companies.
Since 1998, Lexus, Mercedes and BMW have moved ahead of US rivals. In that period, Cadillac and Lincoln’s combined share of US luxury-vehicle sales slid to 19,3 per cent from 29,8 per cent.
In April, Cadillac sales rose 9,8 per cent to 54 776, while Lincoln fell 15 per cent to 45 178, reported.