BMW Group Reports February Sales: BMW -6.7%, MINI +44.2%

BMW Group (BMW and MINI combined) sales slightly behind by 1.8 percent for
the month. MINI brand sales up 44.2 percent for February.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The BMW Group in the U.S.
(BMW and MINI combined) today reported February vehicle sales of 24,190,
slightly down by 1.8 percent from the 24,642 vehicles sold in the same
month of 2007. Year-to-date, BMW Group sales are down 11.5 percent, to
41,125 vehicles versus the 46,453 sold in the first two months of 2007.

The result reflects BMW Group's expectations for the month. Upcoming
new products like the BMW 1 Series Coupe and Convertible, BMW's Sports
Activity Coupe X6, and the new twin-turbo charged Advanced Diesel engines
for the 3 Series and the X5 all arriving later this year will push sales
volumes again. MINI continues its success story in the U.S. with the launch
of its third variant - the all new MINI Clubman - which hit the showrooms
in February.

BMW Brand Sales

BMW brand sales were down 6.7 percent, to 20,775 vehicles compared to
22,274 vehicles sold during February 2007. Year-to-date, BMW reported sales
of 35,250 vehicles compared to the 42,035 reported in the same period a
year ago, a decrease of 16.1 percent.

BMW Automobile Sales

Monthly sales of BMW brand automobiles decreased 8.5 percent in
February, to 15,869 versus 17,342 in 2007. For the first two months
combined, BMW automobile sales decreased 18.1 percent to 26,922 versus
32,870 reported in the same period last year.

BMW Sports Activity Vehicles

Sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles were slightly down 0.5 percent
for the month, to 4,906 vehicles compared to the 4,932 reported last
February. Year-to-date, BMW SAV sales are down 9.1 percent to 8,328
vehicles from 9,165 in 2007.

MINI Brand Sales

MINI USA reported a 44.2 percent increase in February sales, to 3,415
cars compared to 2,368 cars sold in the same period a year ago. MINI USA
also reported sales of 5,875 for the first two months of 2008, an increase
of 33.0 percent over the 4,418 sold in the same period a year ago.

Sales BMW of North America, LLC, February 2008

Feb Feb YTD YTD
2008 2007 % 2008 2007 %

BMW brand 20,775 22,274 -6.7 35,250 42,035 -16.1
BMW passenger
cars 15,869 17,342 -8.5 26,922 32,870 -18.1
BMW light trucks
(SAVs) 4,906 4,932 -0.5 8,328 9,165 -9.1
MINI brand 3,415 2,368 44.2 5,875 4,418 33.0

TOTAL Group 24,190 24,642 -1.8 41,125 46,453 -11.5


Sales BMW of North America, LLC, February 2008

YTD YTD
Feb 08 Feb 07 % Feb 08 Feb 07 %

3 Series 8,943 11,735 -23.8% 15,787 21,934 -28.0%
Z4 Roadster and Coupe 524 566 -7.4% 887 1,038 -14.5%
5 Series 4,442 3,482 27.6% 7,213 6,813 5.9%
6 Series 458 544 -15.8% 823 1,067 -22.9%
7 Series 1,502 1,015 48.0% 2,212 2,018 9.6%
BMW passenger cars 15,869 17,342 -8.5% 26,922 32,870 -18.1%
X3 1,367 2,015 -32.2% 2,458 3,802 -35.3%
X5 3,539 2,917 21.3% 5,870 5,363 9.5%
BMW light trucks (SAVs) 4,906 4,932 -0.5% 8,328 9,165 -9.1%
BMW brand 20,775 22,274 -6.7% 35,250 42,035 -16.1%
Cooper Hardtop 2,258 1,957 15.4% 4,415 3,626 21.8%
Cooper Convertible 454 411 10.5% 757 792 -4.4%
Cooper Clubman 703 0 703 0
MINI brand 3,415 2,368 44.2% 5,875 4,418 33.0%
TOTAL BMW of North
America, LLC 24,190 24,642 -1.8% 41,125 46,453 -11.5%

ThierryHenry14 - 3/3/2008 4:24:32 PM

+5 Boost

awesome? rejoicing at declines... how cynical...

farabira1 - 3/4/2008 1:43:45 PM

+1 Boost

What a bunch of lies. Check out figures at Autoblog

BMW sales figure are as follows

BMW –10.5% at 20,775 (2/07: 22,274)

and Mini Did not increase sale by 44% but by

MINI 38.5% at 3,415 (2/07: 2,368)

The -6.25% decline that the author of this article quotes in his titles, is the total loss in sale of the whole BMW group, not just BMW motors.

And for comparison Lexus had a net loss in sale of :

Lexus –9.3% at 21,277 (2/07: 22,518)

So clearly, Lexus fared better than BMW.

farabira1 - 3/5/2008 9:55:38 AM

0 Boost

"Mthree", who is this moron. Did not see you in Autospies before. WHat are you, some new kid trying to press an impression.

By the way i was just commenting on the sales figure on BMW sales, and from there how you derived that i pray to monkeys as gods, only a behemoth idiot like you can answer.

And by the way, I know TATA does not make great cars, they sell millions of cheap transportation mediums (cheap cars) to the billions of people of India, and that is why they have such a gigantic revenue, and by the way Indian Govt. puts on high tariffs on foreign imports, and foreign competition so domestics like TATA can do well. I don't like TATA because they don't make anything worth mentioning. But if me liking TATA can irk monkeys like you, then sure I love TATA, just like I love INDIA.

farabira1 - 3/5/2008 2:41:36 PM

0 Boost

Really "Mthree" if you are cleverer than a monkey then you would have explained to me how you derived the notion that i worship monkeys as gods, simply from my commentaries on the BMW sales figures.

I mean if you have any sort of brains, please try to convince me of the logic behind your conclusion. And I'll rest the case of calling you a brainless monkey.

Then on to your comment about my earlier quote "Mthree, Who is this moron", you just said that my statement is not a rhetorical question and somehow i am grammatically wrong. Actually, if you know any grammar, you will concur that a rhetoric question is a figure of speech that is used by someone to assert or deny something. So clearly i was trying to assert the fact that you "Mthree" are a moron and so my statement was a rhetorical question. And there is a comma after "Mthree" to signify the fact that my statement concerns the subject "Mthree" in the sentence.

And really who is concerned about proper grammer while blogging. I guess you have never blogged before. People use informal language all the time. I think My other Autospies users will agree with me in that case.

And again I am proud to be an INDIAN, and I am very happy to thrash a white trash like you "Mthree".

henbmw - 3/5/2008 5:08:03 PM

+1 Boost

Keep in mind there was an extra day in Feb. this year. These should be a bit lower

1970toyotamarc - 3/3/2008 4:02:14 PM

-4 Boost

"Upcoming new products like the...."

BMW's press releases are starting to sound like Autospies' BMW fans.

Oh and JRob, what happened to BMW ALWAYS reporting their sales days after everyone else. I guess when their sales are typical of other brands for the month, we'll hear about them the same day as everyone else's.

And I guess BMW's buyers are not from enthusiast's protected, recession-proof, upper classes, as the buyers of the MBZ C-Class apparently are.

I dont wish ill on BMW, and I do not revel in their sales declines. This is directed to posters here who treat them like deities.

JRobUSC - 3/3/2008 4:41:22 PM

+2 Boost

Toyota, you can believe whatever you want, I'm not going to argue with you about it. I get the sales figures every month and BMW's tend to be a day or two behind other manufacturers, good or bad. Use the "search" feature on this site and go back 12 months, you'll see BMW ;posts their figures after everyone else.

By the way, that goes both ways -- they released these on March 3rd, and you're happy with the timing. Last month they released them January 4th, and you were in an uproar like BMW was keeping secrets. Not much of a difference between the 3rd and 4th, yet this time they're "on time" and last time they were "scandalous, sneaky, information hiding bastards". You don't get to have it both ways.

JRobUSC - 3/3/2008 4:43:16 PM

+1 Boost

excuse me, that should have been "released them last month on February 4", not "January 4".

1970toyotamarc - 3/3/2008 4:58:04 PM

-2 Boost

Actually I did just that last month using Auto Channel, and for every month until I got bored, BMW reported the same day as everyone else.

S4cabriofoxone - 3/3/2008 10:05:19 PM

0 Boost

toyotamarc, just a hunch, are you a conspiracy theorist?

1970toyotamarc - 3/4/2008 9:12:35 PM

+2 Boost

the illuminati controls everything..... We live in the Matrix. ;)

Dr550 - 3/3/2008 4:06:27 PM

-1 Boost

Yeah, cool MT. Just like the Camry based ES350/RX350 12,000 Feb. sales keeping Lexus afloat.

aarononymous - 3/3/2008 7:45:58 PM

+5 Boost

disappear please

zorbeeze - 3/5/2008 8:51:58 AM

0 Boost

"Lexus had a bigger drop. -9.3"

Your an intelligent boy so do some research.
BMW's decline was actually larger than 6.5.
And it was also larger than Lexus' 9.3.

zorbeeze - 3/5/2008 8:53:17 AM

0 Boost

"Hussein Osama."
BMW3series thank you for showing us the typical american ignorance.

bigmotov - 3/3/2008 4:09:17 PM

+9 Boost

I find the wording of the headlines interesting.

"BMW Group Reports February Sales: BMW -6.7%, MINI +44.2%"

"Toyota Continues Downward Slide -6.3% Lexus -9.3% In February"

bigmotov - 3/3/2008 4:17:24 PM

0 Boost

Relax xeroKOOL...nothing personal. Just stating how I prefer your unbiased reports.

S4cabriofoxone - 3/3/2008 10:06:25 PM

-1 Boost

Toyota IS in a downward spiral. They've steadily declined for quite a few months. BMW has only reported 2 decreases lately.

enthusiastx11 - 3/3/2008 11:52:09 PM

-1 Boost

that's because lexus rate of sales growth is on a major slide...growth rates down EVERY month since july 07. one down month for bmw isn't a trend.

answer - 3/3/2008 6:44:00 PM

+5 Boost

And American, thanks to some hard working people in South Carolina.

theoptimisticpessimist - 3/3/2008 4:40:17 PM

-1 Boost

"It's the economy stupid" -James Carville

theoptimisticpessimist - 3/3/2008 4:40:34 PM

-1 Boost

"It's the economy stupid" -James Carville

enthusiastx11 - 3/3/2008 11:54:56 PM

0 Boost

xero:

your comment makes no sense as lexus uses the same methodology year after year. so it's an apples to apples comparison within brands.

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 12:03:37 AM

-4 Boost

xero:

care to comment on lexus declining sales growth every month since july 07?

all the best. big hug. ; )

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 1:45:26 AM

-1 Boost

xero:

comparing a mass-market manufacturer to a high-end manufacturer is pointless. the proper comparison is lexus to bmw. but toyota doesn't break out lexus profitability. therefore, we have NO IDEA if the brand is even profitable.

by your logic, one should compare gucci to the gap or net jets to american airlines.

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 11:56:39 AM

-1 Boost

hey obama.

you're the best! i want to be you! let me know when you get the breakouts on lexus profitability.

zorbeeze - 3/5/2008 8:58:09 AM

0 Boost

"FYI Lexus had a bigger drop -9.3%."
Another FYI, BMWs 6.7% drop includes the increase in Mini sales.

Ahhhhhh Ignorance is bliss for you my boy.

1970toyotamarc - 3/3/2008 5:42:28 PM

+2 Boost

Would that be the current market that is favoring small, efficient cars????

tattedtwice - 3/3/2008 5:36:41 PM

+4 Boost

Considering the 5 came out almost 5 years ago and remains the best-selling in class is impressive.

autopro - 3/3/2008 8:08:43 PM

+1 Boost

BMW is buying market share with a high residual and cheap money factors,their buying business.

enthusiastx11 - 3/3/2008 11:56:47 PM

0 Boost

autopro:

and yet they remain extremely profitable. so they're doing an excellent job of running the company.

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 11:59:46 AM

+1 Boost

obama.

of course you would. numb steering, body roll, jitter ride and a claustrophic cabin. it's perfect for you, the average GS buyer, a short 58 year old suburban woman!

autopro - 3/3/2008 8:09:56 PM

+2 Boost

A GS350 leases for 200.00 more a month.

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 12:01:11 PM

+1 Boost

autopro:

it leases for more because it's worth LESS at the end of the lease.

autopro - 3/5/2008 3:58:23 PM

+1 Boost

Weakone
IF bmw is so profitable why did they just cut 6500 jobs?You don't know what's happening in this business unless your in it.

DW1968 - 3/7/2008 10:44:04 PM

+1 Boost

@autopro--BMW may be trying to protect their profit margin. If they maintain their production volumes in a slower market, they may need to discount their prices and dilute the value of their brand.

Some companies operate on volume and are willing to maintain volume at the expense of brand value, profit margin and/or residual values, others are not willing to make that sacrifice. It seems that BMW is one of those who are not.

It actually makes perfect sense from a long-term strategy perspective, to maintain their hard-earned brand value as a top-tier luxury maker, but the unfortunate result is that some of their workers will pay the price, in the near-term.

BTW, investing in Mini and keeping it a separate brand is also part of the strategy of protecting the brand value of BMW..they saw that there was a market for small/luxury/quirky cars, but rather than risk diluting the BMW brand, they kept them as Minis. MB took the opposite approach, as a counter-example, with their A-class, and now they're trying BMW's approach with the SMART brand.

Agent250 - 3/3/2008 8:36:26 PM

+6 Boost

Ouch... What happened to the 3-series sales. It dropped by -23.8%?

0to60 - 3/3/2008 10:55:30 PM

+4 Boost

I remember last month BMW sales were down due to "Low Supply." Yea right. you would think they would have enough supply by feb. We were expecting record sales for that reason... hmmmm. What happened?

0to60 - 3/3/2008 10:55:43 PM

+3 Boost

I remember last month BMW sales were down due to "Low Supply." Yea right. you would think they would have enough supply by feb. We were expecting record sales for that reason... hmmmm. What happened? Whats the excuse this month?

enthusiastx11 - 3/3/2008 11:59:58 PM

0 Boost

"3 series down 23%, that says it all. Future 1-series sales right there :)"

what that says it that people buying in the entry-luxury class are being affected by the economic downturn more than those higher up the economic later. pretty basic stuff. you'll see the high-end models of all luxury makers do well in down times while their entry models suffer.

and, fyi, 1-series volume is very small so your comment makes no sense.

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 12:01:57 AM

0 Boost

oh...and i can't stand you. you're so full of stupid ideas and completely bereft of logic.

MPowerDK - 3/4/2008 4:04:42 AM

+3 Boost

BMW where the first to come with xenon lamps, dont know about adaptive lights.

VISO - 3/3/2008 11:49:42 PM

+3 Boost

If sales continue to tank, every luxury carmaker will begin incentives to prop up sales. It will be the way to go. So, no one is immune to this downturn.

Alec - 3/4/2008 12:23:54 AM

+2 Boost

yeesh so much anti german and anti lexus comments.

Congrats to Mini on the big leap in sales, something users here dont seem to care. only how to bash bmw, lexus and ahh you know.

enthusiastx11 - 3/4/2008 12:02:18 PM

+4 Boost

obama:

Loser

S4cabriofoxone - 3/5/2008 5:50:39 PM

+1 Boost

?

Didn't you just see that their percentage downward this month is almost exactly the same as Audi's?

indoctrin8ed - 3/4/2008 4:33:47 PM

-1 Boost

BMW Sales may be down slightly in NUMBER of cars sold, but the profit % and $ per vehicle is UP, which means BMW is making more money.

autopro - 3/5/2008 4:20:57 PM

0 Boost

That's why they just cut 6500 jobs.

DW1968 - 3/7/2008 10:51:43 PM

+1 Boost

@autopro--Yes. They cut workers because they want fewer cars made. They want fewer cars made because they know that demand is slowing down (industry-wide, not just BMW), and they want to keep suppy in line with demand, so that there is always strong demand...this allows them to keep their cost and profit margin up, rather than having too much inventory and having to discount heavily.

If they have to discount heavily, or start advertising desperately, then they lose the "BMW is an expensive exclusive luxury car" brand magic.

BMW's job cuts do not mean that they are losing money.

DW1968 - 3/7/2008 10:54:36 PM

+1 Boost

Uh, by "cost", above, I meant "cost to the customer" (i.e. price), not "production cost".

Porschinator - 3/5/2008 12:33:39 PM

+1 Boost

BMWs decision to buy Mini was obviously a great move....

mini22 - 3/6/2008 1:34:24 PM

+1 Boost

It will be interesting if BMW will be able to hold the line on Mini prices.Since the cars are made in England the ratio of the pound to the dollar is different then the Euro to the dollar is. Saying that the ratio has got to be getting worse as the Fed keeps dropping interest rates. I think it's only a matter of time before BMW decides to start Mini production in Spartanberg.

VISO - 3/6/2008 2:38:45 PM

+1 Boost

For all those Lexus dealers that invested all those millions and millions in new overdone dealerships, I hope that that Lexus sales don't continue to decline or there will be some unhappy dealers.