BMW Closes Out October In A Frightening Way As Sales Crater By 18.4%

Sales of BMW brand vehicles decreased 18.4 percent in October for a total of 24,017 compared to 29,439 vehicles sold in October, 2015. Year-to-date, the BMW brand is down 9.0 percent in the U.S. on sales of 254,150 vehicles compared to 279,395 sold in the first ten months of 2015.

Notable vehicle sales in October include the BMW 7 Series which increased to 1,133 cars, the BMW X1 which increased to 2,710 vehicles, and the BMW X3 which increased to 3,680 vehicles.

“The volatility of the U.S. market is more clearly evident as the pace of sales continues slowing from the peak of 2015,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “At the same time, BMW Sports Activity Vehicles – X1 to X6 - have set a new record, more than 100,000 sold year to date, accounting for 47% of our October sales, with room for more growth as demand for these popular models continues to increase.”

BMW Group Sales

In total, the BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported October sales of 27,971 vehicles, a decrease of 16.6 percent from the 33,526 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, BMW Group sales are down 9.6 percent on sales of 297,015 vehicles in the first ten months of 2016 compared to 328,456 in the same period in 2015.

MINI Brand Sales

For October, MINI USA reported 3,954 automobiles sold, a decrease of 3.3 percent from the 4,087 sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, MINI USA reported a total of 42,865 automobiles sold, a decrease of 12.6 percent from 49,061 automobiles sold in the first ten months of 2015.

Table 1: New Vehicle Sales BMW of North America, LLC, October 2016

	Oct. 2016	Oct. 2015	%	YTD Oct. 2016	YTD Oct. 2015	%
BMW brand	24,017	29,439	-18.4	254,150	279,395	-9.0
BMW passenger cars	15,453	21,067	-26.6	172,865	200,142	-13.6
BMW light trucks	8,564	8,372	2.3	81,285	79,253	2.6
MINI brand	3,954	4,087	-3.3	42,865	49,061	-12.6
TOTAL Group	27,971	33,526	-16.6	297,015	328,456	-9.6

BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles

October 2016 sales of BMW Certified Pre-Owned set an October record with 11,310 vehicles, an increase of 18.2 percent from October 2015.
Total BMW Pre-Owned sales also set an October record with 21,811 vehicles, an increase of 39.7 percent from October
Total BMW Pre-Owned cars sold year-to-date were 190,546, a 23.8 percent increase from the first ten months of 2015.

MINI Pre-Owned Vehicles

In October, sales of MINI Certified Pre-Owned set an October record with 1,016 vehicles, an increase of 1.7 percent from October 2015.
Total MINI Pre-Owned sales also set an October record with 2,457 vehicles in October 2016, an increase of 9.3 percent from October 2015.
Total MINI Pre-Owned sales year-to-date were 23,760, a 5.2 percent increase from the first ten months of 2015.

cidflekken - 11/1/2016 1:06:39 PM

+2 Boost

Holy shiznite, the 3 Series is getting crushed, by BMW sales standards.

TheSteve - 11/1/2016 1:27:01 PM

0 Boost

Hmmmmmm, Volkswagen's sales just "Drop by 18.5%" while BMW's sales "Crater [In A Frightening Way] By 18.4%".

Honestly, I'm not concerned by monthly swings, known facetiously in business as "single-period trends." BMW's sales go up and down monthly. This month, they show an 18.4% decline, while Audi goes up and up and up every month for 68 months in a row, and shows an October increase of 2.5%. So using these numbers, can we rightfully conclude...
- Audi makes "better" vehicles than BMW?
- Audi makes more desirable products than BMW?
- Audi is more profitable than BMW?
- Audi sells more vehicles than BMW?
That's a big "nope" in all cases (or possibly "arguable" in the first).

Folks, you know I'm not a BMW fan (nor a BMW hater). I'm just pointing out that it's pointless to get your shorts in knot over a single month's numbers, or to make wild extrapolations based on those single month figures.

BMW will do just fine, in spite of this month's "frightening...cratering".

GermanNut - 11/1/2016 1:45:40 PM

-6 Boost

Where do you get a single month of poor sales? BMW's 2016 YTD sales are down 9% with the 3-Series, 5-Series and X5 (it's three best-selling models) each down at least 18% YTD. We only have 2 months left in 2016 so BMW has been seeing consistently negative sales results for most of 2016.

No, BMW will not be fine and it has not been fine. It lost the sales crown to Mercedes-Benz both in the United States and globally in just one year.

If you were running BMW of North American and you thought these sales results were fine, you would likely be fired.

TheSteve - 11/1/2016 2:52:46 PM

+1 Boost

GermanNut: I assume (and hope) you're aware that BMW and Mercedes trade their "No.1 crown" back and forth. It's not like one was always the leader, and is no longer. It's also not like No.1 leads by a wide margin over No.2.

Specific model sales, within specific market regions, can vary wildly, but that is not what defines The Company. It's The Big Picture, which includes total unit sales, and profitability.

Worry about BMW if you want, GermanNut. Be concerned about their demise and their fall from glory. I'd be *extremely* surprised if BMW isn't STILL the No.1 or No.2 luxury car maker 5 years from now.

MDarringer - 11/1/2016 10:23:54 PM

+1 Boost

@TheSteve...you and need to get on the Audi gravy train...

TheSteve - 11/2/2016 1:20:06 AM

-1 Boost

@MDarringer re "@TheSteve...you and need to get on the Audi gravy train..."

I don't follow you, especially when considering that my BMW vs Audi comparison (posted 11/1/2016 1:27:01 PM) does *NOT* portray Audi in a favorable light.

MDarringer - 11/2/2016 8:42:08 AM

+3 Boost

@TheSteve I was referring to the junkets the agents go on.

GermanNut - 11/1/2016 1:41:11 PM

-5 Boost

BMW has a major U.S. sales crisis on its hands.

The 3-Series sales dropped a whopping 52.6% in October and are down 27.9% YTD. The 3-Series has been BMW's best-selling model in the U.S. for at least 10 years.

The 5-Series also tanked with sales down 45.7% for the month and 20.2% YTD. The new 5-Series looks just like the current one from the outside with an even cheaper interior, so it won't help BMW too much sales wise.

It's two best-selling sedan models have each seen sales decline by more than 20% YTD.

BMW's SUVs, which should be seeing increased sales due to the trend of consumers buying more SUVs and fewer sedans, are also getting crushed.

The X4 is down 15.8% YTD while the X5 is down 18% YTD.

BMW's best-selling SUV model has seen its sales decline 18% YTD.

BMW is finally seeing the results of its decisions to move away from 'Ultimate Driving Machine' driving dynamics and build cheap interiors in both quality and look.

With this dismal sales result for October, BMW has officially lost the U.S. sales crown for 2016 and with such a poor performance in the major U.S. market, it has no chance to catch Mercedes-Benz globally.

malba2367 - 11/1/2016 3:07:35 PM

+2 Boost

BMW has a big problem on their hands...Audi and MB both have better designs inside and out and they have both closed the performance gap greatly. You can see the results in BMWs sales numbers...they have a good month when they get aggressive with leasing, and when they dial back the lease incentives the numbers fall. They really need to get out of this styling rut they are in.

nguyenvuminh - 11/1/2016 3:10:38 PM

+4 Boost

Mthly figure can be misleading/insignificant but the YTD figure indicates the same troubling trend. Their halo cars, the one that made them famous, such as 3, 4 and recently 5, are not doing well. I understand the market shift to CUVs and away from sedans but even then, seems like BMW recent efforts are deteriorating faster than their MB counterparts.

cidflekken - 11/1/2016 5:27:36 PM

+1 Boost

Current BMW sales are not necessarily worrisome. What's worrisome, or should be, is what BMW is doing for future models. If the new 7 and just-introduced 5 are any indication, then yes, BMW's future as one of the top 2 or top 3 Tier 1 brands, in NA and globally, may be in jeopardy. Audi is now only 5K units behind in their month-to-month sales, and the introduction of more models at the lower-end of the spectrum will close that gap quickly. Just look what the A3 and Q3 have done. If BMW continues to stick with the "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it" approach, then it will eventually break and these current sales numbers are starting to bare that out.

cidflekken - 11/1/2016 5:29:22 PM

+2 Boost

Oops, the gap between Audi and BMW this month was 7K, not 5K units.