March 2019: BMW of North America

[Drew Dowdell]

BMW of North America Reports March 2019 U.S. Sales.
 

• BMW Sports Activity Vehicles Reach 59% of Total Sales; on Record Level through Q1 2019.
• U.S.-Built BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle Remains Best-Selling BMW in the U.S.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 2, 2019… Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 2.9 percent in March 2019 for a total of 32,228 over the 31,311 vehicles sold in March 2018.

Top-selling vehicles in March included the BMW X3 and BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicles, along with the all-new BMW 3 Series sedan, the core of the BMW “Ultimate Driving Machine” brand, and the BMW X7 Sports Activity Vehicle, both in their first full month of sales.

“March’s results are due to the success of our U.S.-built Sports Activity Vehicles, the outstanding sales of the BMW X3 and X5, and the incredible reception from our customers to the X7 and brand new 3 Series,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “We are pleased to finish Q1 on a positive note, thanks to the arrival of so much exciting new product and the strength of our dealer network.”

Sales of the BMW X3 reached 6,727 units in March, once again making it the best-selling BMW in the U.S. The BMW X7 had a very strong introduction in its first month on showroom floors, selling 2,186 units.

Table 1: New Vehicle Sales BMW of North America, LLC, March 2019

	March	March	%	YTD	YTD	%
	2019	2018		2019	2018
BMW passenger cars	17,632	20,648	-14.6	41,686	47,541	-12.3
BMW light trucks	14,596	10,663	36.9	32,202	26,294	22.5
TOTAL BMW	32,228	31,311	2.9	73,888	73,835	0.1

BMW Group Electrified Vehicle Sales
BMW Group sales of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles totaled 1,147 in March 2019, a decrease of 55.7 percent over the 2,588 sold in the same month a year ago. Model changeover has limited the current BMW Group electrified lineup to five models including the BMW i3, BMW i8 and i8 Roadster, BMW 530e, and MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Plug-in hybrid variants of the BMW X5, the all-new BMW 3 Series and updated BMW 7 Series recently debuted at the Geneva International Motor Show. These models and a plug-in-hybrid variant of the BMW X3 will begin sales in the U.S. at a future date.

MINI Brand Sales
For March, MINI USA reported 3,769 vehicles sold, a decrease of 16.8 percent from the 4,531 sold in the same month a year ago.

BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles

• BMW Certified Pre-Owned sold 10,858 vehicles, a decrease of 6.9 percent from March 2018.
• Total BMW Pre-Owned sold 23,536 vehicles, an increase of 3.7 percent from March 2018.

MINI Pre-Owned Vehicles

• MINI Certified Pre-Owned sold 1,238 vehicles, an increase of 10.3 percent from March 2018.
• Total MINI Pre-Owned sold 2,849 vehicles, a decrease of 5.8 percent from March 2018.

Table 2: Pre-Owned Vehicle Sales BMW of North America, LLC, March 2019

	Mar-19	Mar-18	%	YTD	YTD	%
				2019	2018
BMW CPO	10,858	11,666	-6.90%	27,578	30,347	-9.10%
BMW Total Pre-Owned	23,536	22,690	3.70%	59,352	57,590	3.10%
MINI CPO	1,238	1,122	10.30%	3,015	2,700	11.70%
MINI Total Pre-Owned	2,849	3,025	-5.80%	7,065	7,308	-3.30%

 

[David]

Mini will always have a fan base, but not really sure how you could grow the mini business unless you grow their size. BMW CPO is not surprising as I am hearing from coworkers that a used BMW like MB is the worst auto to buy due to the cost of repairs and maintenance. 

[balthazar]

The BMW brand exists on 5 models. So tell me why they have 17 ??

[David]

6 minutes ago, balthazar said:

The BMW brand exists on 5 models. So tell me why they have 17 ??

@smk4565 Says any real luxury auto line must have all those models to exist, so BMW is listening to SMK as they follow the MB road map even as you point out, they exist on a total of 5 models only.

[balthazar]

Also quizzical that BMW has now slid a 2nd CUV into the "cars" category. More than previously, I'm positive this is to bolster the sales slide of BMW cars. If one categorizes them correctly via body type, BMW sold 32,879 cars and 41,009 'light trucks' in March.

[smk4565]

The 6-series is a dead nameplate and the i cars sell like crap.  They still do well with 3-5-7 series, not as well as Mercedes in those segments but BMW is #2.  BMW outsold Mercedes in March and they did it with SUVs, those SUVs are all doing well. X7 is already out performing  Navigator and up to Escalde avg volume and they are just getting started.