What recession? Both Audi and BMW had their best ever first quarter in sales of new cars. Audi sold 312,600 vehicles worldwide between Jan 1 and March 31, an increase of 18.4 percent compared to the same period last year. In overall sales volume Audi was just beaten by arch rival BMW, which sold 321,175 vehicles for a 20.8 percent increase. Mercedes-Benz did not set any sales records and now lies in third place behind Audi and BMW with sales of 280,552 cars and SUVs.
In the past the U.S. has been the most important market outside of Germany for these brands. That’s no longer the case as China has become the largest market for Audi where it sold 64,122 cars in the three month period compared to 56,283 in Germany, 34, 869 in the UK and 25,383 in the U.S. BMW and Mercedes-Benz sell less vehicles than Audi in China but they are quickly catching up in what is now the largest new-car market in the world.
Mercedes-Benz did top BMW in sales in the U.S. during this period by moving 53,346 cars and SUVs, compared to 52,617 for BMW. For the record Lexus sold 47,356 vehicles in the U.S. but it has a small presence in the rest of the world compared to the three luxury giants of Germany.
The BMW Group also announced record sales for its two other brands – Mini and Rolls Royce — in March and for the year to date.
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