The BMW Group in the US (BMW and MINI combined) reported November sales of 19,762 vehicles, a decrease of 26.8 percent over the 26,985 vehicles sold in November 2007. The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 281,564 vehicles, down 6.8 percent, compared to 302,079 vehicles in the same period of 2007.
BMW Brand Sales
Sales of BMW brand vehicles decreased 36.1 percent in November for a total of 15,217 compared to 23,808 reported in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date BMW brand sales were down 12.3 percent, to 231,053 vehicles compared to 263,596 vehicles sold in the same period in 2007.
"You can't force sales because in the current climate purchases are based on real need, and when there is emotional desire involved, the decision is increasingly weighted on the value proposition," said Jim O'Donnell, President of BMW of North America, LLC. "Our value proposition is well tuned with a range of leasing and retail financing options and four years free maintenance. Both of these have helped us outperform the premium market, and along with cutting our production volumes earlier in the year, we're in good shape eliminating excessive inventory."
BMW Automobile Sales
BMW's automobile sales are down 35 percent in November to 12,106 versus 18,627 in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date sales also decreased 12.6 percent, to 181,289 automobiles compared to 207,471 in the same period of 2007.
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Sales
Sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles decreased by 40 percent in November to 3,111 vehicles over the 5,181 sold last November. Year-to-date, sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles were down 11.3 percent, to 49,764 vehicles compared to the 56,125 sold in the first eleven months of 2007.
MINI Brand Sales
MINI USA reported November sales of 4,545 automobiles, up 43.1 percent from the 3,177 cars sold in November 2007. Year-to-date, the division reported sales of 50,511 automobiles, an increase of 31.3 percent, compared to the 38,483 cars reported in the first eleven months of 2007.
"We've seen some slowing in MINI showroom traffic just the same as everyone else
in the last month," said Jim McDowell, Vice-President of MINI USA. "However, we're still positive about our future sales due to the fact the recent frenzy towards more efficient transportation has introduced more consumers to our brand. This has helped us hit the milestone of 50,000 sales in November, one month sooner than we expected."
BMW Certified Pre-Owned
Sales of BMW's Certified Pre-Owned vehicles are down slightly by 2 percent, to 7,700 CPO vehicles versus 7,856 vehicles reported last November. Year-to-date, CPO sales are up 15.5 percent, to 92,781 over the 80,299 reported in the same period in 2007.