Americans love the BMW X5 sport-utility vehicle, so much so that it is helping the German manufacturer grab a big stake of the luxury car sales market in the United States.
Americans’ love of the BMW X5 sport-utility vehicle is giving the German manufacturer a firm hold in the luxury car sales market in the United States.
Sales of the X5 rose by 62 per cent this year, though no sales figure was given. It has, however, been credited with increasing BMW’s US sales this year until November to 194 713. This moves BMW from fifth place to second spot in the luxury sales market behind Toyota’s Lexus.
Lexus’s sales grew by 9,1 per cent to 201 780 for the year through to November. And overseas manufacturers are dominating this section of the market with Mercedes-Benz in third place.
Mercedes’ sales to date this year grew by only one per cent to 186 562. This is a drop for Mercedes, who have competed with Lexus for the number one spot since 1998. Previously, Lincoln dominated this sector. But neither Mercedes nor BMW have seen the need to follow General Motors and Ford and offer zero per cent financing deals to boost sales.
“We’ve been happy with our performance over the course of the year,” said Ed Robinson, BMW’s vice-president of US operations. “We’re not going to initiate any special (sales) actions to be number one.” Of course, buyers who are in the market for a luxury car generally do not need the help of special financing plans to purchase their dream cars.
Jim Gillette, vice president at IRN Incorporated, a consulting company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, believes it’s all about quality.
“The Baby Boomers in particular were brought up in an era where they expected to get true value for their money,” Gillette told auto.com. “That value is now being delivered from Asia and Europe.”
For the rest of the rankings in this sector, Cadillac, the only American manufacturer in the top five, comes in at number four, but sales have fallen by eight per cent so far this year to 159 770. Honda is not far behind with 159 770 sales this year to take fifth place. Lincoln is in sixth place.