Audi Overtakes BMW In February To Lead Global Sales Race

Audi's strong growth puts further pressure on BMW's recent product expansion. With BMW already behind Audi in global sales through the first two months of 2014, BMW's decision to launch several overlapping models such as the 3-Series GT, 4-Series Gran Coupe and X4 will be even more scrutinized.

"BMW's decision to launch several overlapping models such as the 3-Series GT, 4-Series Gran Coupe and X4 will be even more scrutinized."

Only by you GermanNut. Care to explain how offering the 3GT, 4GC and X4 has handed more sales to Audi?

Audi and BMW should enjoy this game of leapfrog while they can because when Benz holds the top spot, they hold it for decades....

Considering the 3-series Gran Coupe and X4 are not out yet, they can't add more sales to Audi.

BMW's model proliferation may backfire and cause customers to head to Mercedes-Benz and/or Audi. The overlap and cannibalization scenarios of BMW's recent models will potentially lower sales for one or more models individually. BMW might end up with very poor sales figures for certain models and increased production costs to build and market those models. That lowers profitability which, in turn, hurts BMW's ability to spend on new model expansion, R&D etc.

So basically, you have no explanation. You just sneeze out BS over keyboard, laced with withs like "may", "might" and "potentially"... whilst making similar speculation about their profitability and future R & D spending, and summizing that based on the might-maybe-potentially scenarios that will hurt them somehow - even though again.. you actually have no idea.

But whatever, enjoy the success of you beloved brand. I'm just happy that the competition is bringing new and exciting models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

4-series Gran Coupe rather. Car4Life, just because Mercedes-Benz held the top spot for decades doesn't mean if and when it gets to the top spot again, it will hold the top spot for decades.

Mercedes-Benz's undoing was a merger that didn't go as planned, a drop-off in quality and a late and disorganized entrance into the hugely important Chinese market.

No company is immune from mistakes, ask Audi during their unintended acceleration era, and the US nearly banning the sale of Audi's in The US, hence their move to build in China.

Bottom Line, Mercedes currently has the strongest all around line up on the market, and judging by them significantly outpacing their competition, I'd say they are well on their way.

The US crown was just the beginning of things to come...time will only tell

Dominating the U.S. is a lot different than dominating the entire world (just ask Lexus).

While Mercedes-Benz currently has the strongest line up on the market, Audi and BMW are not sitting idle.

I think BMW will pay an enormous price, as Yonder7 indicated, due to its recently questionable styling (X4 and 2-Series Active Tourer) and overlapping scenarios (3-Series Wagon, 4-Series Gran Coupe and 3-series GT and X3, X4, X5) and, perhaps most importantly, vehicles that are straying further and further away from its "Ultimate Driving Machine" motto and philosophy.

Audi, on the other hand, is launching the A3 Sedan in the critical U.S. and Chinese markets and expects it to produce huge sales. The current Q7 is already selling well and the new model is coming at the end of 2014 despite rumors to the contrary. The next A4 was taken back to the drawing board but perhaps the end result will one-up even this new C-Class and 3-Series.

Audi already is the market leader in Europe and China and is planning to expand its model range to 60 vehicles by 2020 up from just 49 today.

Time will tell but I wouldn't bet against a company that enjoys advantages of economies of scale, market-leading status in Europe and China, a promise to change its exterior design styling to be more aggressive and differentiated and a huge $30 billion Euro investment in expanding R&D, product expansion and innovation.

Yes we know the A3 is launching, lets not forget the A4 is delaying and the Q7 still yields to the GL.

Timing is everything and Benz was on it. Just wait til the C Class hits showrooms, Up 74% in China is nothing and their lead will grow significantly in the US in addition to the 4 matic CLA, GLA, and upcoming GLK

No one is idle... Benz cut the gap between them in Audi by 1/3 last month.

Im telling you, in the end...Benz Wins

Well, it was foreseen...To many Ugly and expensive cars that are not faithful to the BMW legacy....They will pay the price soon if they do not change direction....

Timing is not everything, Car4Life, product is everything. While Mercedes-Benz was first to market with the CLA, many reviews have said the A3 Sedan is the better overall vehicle. That is a prime example of how the product is more important than the timing. The sales of Audi's A3 sedan might surpass those of the Mercedes-Benz CLA just like the Q5 came to market long after the BMW X3 but achieved better sales numbers than the X3 because many reviews found it to better than the BMW overall.

While the next A4 has been delayed, it might be the car that allows Audi to finally make huge strides against the 3-Series.

Bud, the sales numbers will speak for themselves, Benz will continue biting into that gap by 1/3 every 2-3 months, and judging by the figures for their lineup and rate of growth, momentum and timing are definitely on their side.

You can only theorize about the unknown DTM Fan. It's not B.S. but rather my prediction of what I think will happen based on the current evidence, trends, etc.

Mercedes-Benz's sales growth might be strong but you're assuming that Audi and BMW's growth rates will continue to trail Mercedes-Benz's by a significant margin. While that may happen for most of 2014 as Mercedes-Benz has more high-volume models coming to market than BMW and Audi, 2015 may very well be a different story. Audi's A3 Sedan will have already been established for a while on the market, the new Q7 will be on sale, the Q3 will be on sales in the U.S. and other SUV variants such as the Q1 and Q8 might be near sales launch. Let's not forget the 2015 A4 will debut as well. Most importantly, though, is the fact that Audi has been releasing many great products recently. The Q5 is a great seller, the Q7 is still selling well and the Q3 sells well (in non-U.S. markets) and the A3 Sedan has lofty expectations.

It's very possible that in 2015 Audi's rate of sales growth starts surging while Mercedes-Benz's rate slows.

Timing is a factor but if your product is head and shoulders above the competition, even timing won't make much of a difference. Look at BMW's 3-series. It's been the benchmark of its class and even the competition's newest offering can't make a huge dent in its sales volume. The same goes for the Mercedes-Benz S-class. BMW's newest 7-series and Audi's newest A8 models can't stop an aged S-class from outselling them by huge margins.

GermanNut, as a shareholder and exec., I do not live by If's, possibility, maybe, coming... I live for the black and white facts.

Mercedes S and E class are currently dominating their segments with no sign of letting up. The E class is technically the oldest in its class and will be the first to be renewed. The new C Class is racking up pre-orders globally, the CLA 4 Matic is generating a healthy number of Pre-Orders in the US alone mainly in the Northeast for obvious reasons.

As far as SUV's go, the M, GLK, and GL(best seller) are no slouches in sales. In terms of revenue, the militant G Class has been laughing to the bank for 30 plus years. The icing on the cake is the GLA.

Again timing my friend...is a very important factor.

No, Car4Life, you live by thinking that what happens today is certain to happen tomorrow, which is a completely flawed approach.

Remember the CLA's success is in part due to the lack of any direct competitors. The 320i is a class above and so is the A4. The A3 Sedan is the only direct competitor (4-door sedan with $30K MSRP). The CLA was lucky to be first to market but that does not mean its sales will continue to be as strong. According to many reliable auto industry reviews, the A3 Sedan is the better overall car. Why do you keep believing that just because something is happening today that it will continue to happen the same way in 6 months especially given the fact that the evidence today says the Audi A3 Sedan is better? Did you not see the recent Motor Trend comparison test where the CLA250 finished dead last due in no small part to its rough riding, filling cracking ride?

Appeal of product is the most important factor. Look at the older BMW 3-Series selling multiple times the volume of brand new Mercedes-Benz C-classes and Audi A4s and the previous Mercedes-Benz S-class selling multiple times the volume of the brand new BMW 7-series and Audi A8. Guess why the sales of the 3-series and S-class were untouched by the competition's newest offerings? They had greater appeal whether it was due to price, driving dynamics, luxury, status, etc.

Timing is only good for a certain time period because if your product is not up to par with the competition's newest offerings don't expect the fact that you were first to market to save you - it clearly won't.

Wrong again, Momentum is momentum and you should read up on supply and demand.

Luck has nothing to do with the CLA launch, its called Research and Development, of the product and target markets.

Again, Appeal of a product is subjective, The A6 and Lexus GS are both stellar vehicles, but do not hold a candle against the E Class.

What you are speaking of is "perception", and Brand Perception to be exact. BMW's 3 series is so successful because it is the epitome of what BMW represents...superior handling, agility, and balance.

The S Class is the epitome of Mercedes, Superior luxury, comfort, and innovation

The "perception" of the two vehicles associated with their brand is what keeps people coming back as well as them being fantastic vehicles themselves.

However, the previous gen S Class and 3 series both had great competitors who had great products that were arguably as "appealing" if not more.

However, one's "perception" of those particular vehicles is ultimately what led to them purchasing over their equally equipped competitors.

Marketing 101

Nope, you're wrong once again Car4Life. Your clear lack of understanding of such rudimentary concepts as economics, marketing and consumer demand is on clear display. I never said luck had anything to do with the CLA's success. Timing has to do with the CLA's success for now but not forever. When the A3 Sedan comes to market, I believe the CLA's sales will drop because the CLA is not as appealing as the A3 Sedan.

Appeal is not subjective. It is a clearly measurable quantity by sales. Although the Audi A6 and Lexus GS are appealing, the reason why they don't sell nearly as much as the E-class is because in the mid-size segment the E-class is, in fact, more appealing. The combination of characteristics (price, brand image, perception etc.) the E-class has obviously has made it more appealing/desirable a product. It's precisely why the E-class sells in much higher quantities. The A6 and GS simply don't have the E-class's combination of characteristics regardless of if they were older or newer than the E-class. Although person A might like the appeal of the A6 or GS more, the overall population finds greater appeal in the E-class.

Again, the previous generation S-class's competitors were not more appealing to the overall car-buying population than the S-class because if they were they wouldn't be outsold by 2 or 3 to 1.

The 3-series and S-class have greater appeal than their competitors due to their combination of characteristics, which just so happens to be the hallmark of their respective brands.

I'm done arguing with you regarding this.

"The CLA was lucky to be first to market but that does not mean its sales will continue to be as strong."-you clearly have selective memory

Stop The Lies, just sit back and enjoy a beatdown...brought to you by Mercedes-Benz...

P.S. there is nothing to argue about, facts are facts

I can replace "was lucky" with "will enjoy first to market advantage".

"The CLA will enjoy first to market advantage but that does not mean its sales will continue to be as strong."

There you go. That removes luck and makes my argument still hold true.

Try to defend against that. Too bad you can't.

No need to defend something I called you out for and you corrected.

Good for you, accountability is a good thing.

You know Car4Life - you're a little childish with the "Mercedes rules everyone else are fools" talk. However you are correct on what you're stating pertaining to Brand Perception. Mercedes Benz IS Mercedes Benz.... it has history, it has pedigree, it has frankly a whole lot! I had an Audi A6 probably the best car I've ever had but the next 3 cars I had were E Class and my wife has a GLK (terrible car by the way). Why... they were a Mercedes. I like the E with the star on the hood vs the grille so I can see it and know what it represents.. I'm guilty too. (Though the ATS 3.6 I'm driving right now is new, fresh, competent and better than its competition + its unique.) Time will tell whether they can continue this perception. There was a time when other cars were the finest on the planet and they stumbled. Arrogant Germans have stumbled before in the past too me thinks!

By the way, no comment on the Motor Trend article rating the CLA behind 3 other cars including the Buick Regal?

Hey bud, we won't even go into your childish comments warranting the deboost you complain about.

What is it you said??? "Haters gonna hate" right...my intern says the same thing lol.

As far as Motor Trend or any other publication goes, I could careless about editors whose jobs rely on advertising dollars from guess who...Auto Manufacturers...which is why I never quote or refer to them.

I test drive it myself and give my input. And if the magazines disagree...well..."haters gonna hate"

i want audi to sell more than bmw, maybe then when i walk into an audi dealership the dealers wont be so snobby " bmw's are a dime a dozen" - cant believe that dealer said that.. it just drives me nuts because when you come on this site you read all this stuff that Audi wants to beat them, so basically none of the top brands really care about exclusivity.