[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

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

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• 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.

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.

[bimmer456]

Sales increase despite the Tesla Model 3.

[Miko M]

Surprised to see electric down 55%

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by bimmer456

Sales increase despite the Tesla Model 3.

Except the Model 3 competitor, the 3 Series, is down 4% for the month and 39% for the year. Only thing keeping BMW NA sales up are their SUVs, mostly the X3.

[CeEl]

201 Z4 sold? Not too bad given first month and only partial month.

[530iDriver]

MINI is definitely the white elephant in the room.

[moltenfire]

Much more concerning in addition to the fall in passenger cars is the fall off in X5 sales. I thought the new X5 is better than the last generation's X5?

[Laki021]

Originally Posted by moltenfire

Much more concerning in addition to the fall in passenger cars is the fall off in X5 sales. I thought the new X5 is better than the last generation's X5?

Limited availability. They cannot produce them fast enough.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by moltenfire

Much more concerning in addition to the fall in passenger cars is the fall off in X5 sales. I thought the new X5 is better than the last generation's X5?

Like many fads in the past, the SUV/CUV cash cow will not last forever. Let's see for how long the auto industry will continue to milk this out.

[cfm56d7b]

X3 continues to show a healthy increase in sales. Not a surprise. It's close to being a perfect combination of performance, luxury, and utility.

[BigSky702]

SUVs may sustain for a while!

With obesity on the upward trend, and all the good eatin' of GMO, Murica needs big SUVs.

[TouringPleb]

Originally Posted by moltenfire

Much more concerning in addition to the fall in passenger cars is the fall off in X5 sales. I thought the new X5 is better than the last generation's X5?

Surely that's accounted for by 2,000 plus X7 sales?

[Al Bundy's Dodge]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Like many fads in the past, the SUV/CUV cash cow will not last forever. Let's see for how long the auto industry will continue to milk this out.

I think the other major component is that after a phase of high prices, gas has been consistently cheap for nearly 10 years. We start to see gas hold above $3/gallon for an extended amount of time you will probably see a shift away from some of the poor gas mileage SUVs and back into better fuel economy passenger cars.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by alex2364

Except the Model 3 competitor, 3 Series, is down -4% for the month and -39% for the year. Only thing keeping BMW NA sales up are their SUVs, mostly the X3.

Not enough data for G20 yet.

[///M TOWN]

If MINI had 1 or 2 100% Electric Cars, they'd absolutely have much higher numbers.

[SoCali E36]

Originally Posted by moltenfire

Much more concerning in addition to the fall in passenger cars is the fall off in X5 sales. I thought the new X5 is better than the last generation's X5?

It's better in every way but lease prices are $150-$250 more a month compared to the previous model.

[ecaedus]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Like many fads in the past, the SUV/CUV cash cow will not last forever. Let's see for how long the auto industry will continue to milk this out.

Huh, if anything, I think SUV is what's keeping the company together now and in the foreseeable future.

This is not some "fad" that'll go away, SUV and CUV are here to stay.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by ecaedus

Huh, if anything, I think SUV is what's keeping the company together now and in the foreseeable future.

This is not some "fad" that'll go away, SUV and CUV are here to stay.

Same for minivans and full size station wagons that came before them...

[ecaedus]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Same for minivans and full size station wagons that came before them...

Meh, minivans have always been around. People buy them because they have to for kids and toddlers.

Station wagons went out because SUV is literally a station wagon jacked up to give you better visibility. People nowadays love that.

[M3 Adjuster]

WOW - 2186 X7 deliveries in March.

The X3 and X7 are where the increase in sales came from.

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Like many fads in the past, the SUV/CUV cash cow will not last forever. Let's see for how long the auto industry will continue to milk this out.

Uh yeah, sure:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_X5

"The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by BMW. The first generation of the X5, with the chassis code E53, made its debut in 1999. It was BMW's first SUV and it also featured all-wheel drive and was available with either manual or automatic transmission."

Shall we make it easy and count in decades? One... two... We are already going on three...

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Same for minivans and full size station wagons that came before them...

We would be remiss if we did not mention the very latest "fad" reaching the end of its life: sedans.

Coupe and convertible sales have been in decline for a couple decades or so, and in the past few years sedans are really feeling the pinch from the SUV "fad" as well. This has put the entire passenger car category in peril. And with more and more movement toward electrified powertrains, fuel economy priority will only continue to diminish.

However, even as we move toward an EV future, efficiency is still very important. Heavy, boxy trucks require bigger batteries to match the range of their sleeker, lighter passenger car brethren. And this means they take longer to charge as well. These and other factors could yet keep the sedan from becoming as niche a vehicle as a coupe or convertible is today.

[CLABRO]

Interesting. This is the first time I've looked at BMW sales.

Is there any info for M cars? Or is the M3 included with the 3 series and so on?