When Agent 009 reported BMW's sales numbers for March, I was looking through the digits when I realized something pretty...interesting.
If you take a close look at the year-to-date (YTD) 2012 figures for the 3-Series, you'll note it moved nearly 25,000 by this time last year. In 2013, that figure is closer to 21,000 units.
Enter the X1. Looking at the 2013 figures YTD, BMW has moved just over 5,400 units.
Could it be a coincidence, absolutely. BUT to see what is essentially an all-new product get hit with an attrition rate of 16 percent is a bit...odd.
Did BMW create a monster? Instead of selling more products overall, it appears the X1 is actually cannibalizing sales from the 3-Series.
We'll be keeping an eye on this throughout 2013.
What say you?