Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz global car sales 2012

Auto News Release

BMW GROUP POSTS HIGHEST SALES EVER IN 2012
10/01/13

1,845,186 BMW Group vehicles sold, an increase of 10.6%
Record year for all three brands
BMW Group aims for further growth in sales in 2013

Munich. The BMW Group achieved its highest ever sales result in 2012, with a total of 1,845,186 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered worldwide. This was an increase of 10.6% over the previous record year in 2011 (1,668,982). All three brands posted record sales for the whole year and the company strengthened its position as the leading provider of premium vehicles worldwide.The BMW Group finished the year on a strong note with 181,571 vehicles sold in December, 14.8% higher than in the same month last year (prev. yr. 158,125).

“2012 was a very successful year for us. The BMW Group achieved its best ever sales result for the second year in a row and expanded its lead in the premium segment. Our success can be attributed to our attractive model portfolio, the strength of our premium brands, as well as a strategy of balanced sales across all continents,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW. He continued “We enter the new year with positive momentum and despite the prevailing headwinds in some markets, we aim to achieve another record year in sales in 2013. This year marks the beginning of a new era for the BMW Group, as we launch the all-electric BMW i3 towards the end of the year.”

BMW sales rose 11.6% in 2012 to reach a total of 1,540,085 vehicles, the best sales level in the history of the brand (prev. yr. 1,380,384). In December, a total of 152,286 vehicles were delivered – an increase of 18.8% (prev. yr. 128,182). One of the frontrunners in terms of growth was the highly successful BMW 1 Series, with a total of 226,829 vehicles sold in 2012, an increase of 28.6% over the previous year (176,418). The BMW X1 also continued to report strong gains in 2012 with a total of 147,776 vehicles sold (+16.9%; prev. yr. 126,429). The BMW 3 Series Sedan claimed the position of segment leader with 294,039 vehicles delivered, an increase of 22.4% over last year (240,278). Sales of the BMW 3 Series rose by 5.8% to a total of 406,752 vehicles (prev. yr. 384,464). Demand for the BMW X3 remained high with sales climbing 27.1% to 149,853 units sold last year (prev. yr. 117,944). The BMW 5 Series solidified its position as segment leader, with a total of 337,929 vehicles delivered to customers in 2012 (+9.0%; prev. yr. 310,050).Strong gains were also achieved by the BMW 6 Series, with 23,193 vehicles delivered to customers (+146.8; prev. yr. 9,396).

MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad achieved record sales in 2012.

Harald Krueger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, MINI, Motorrad, Rolls-Royce, Aftersales BMW Group stated, “The sales records for MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad show that our products and services are fit for the future in the face of increasingly challenging market conditions, owing to the strength of the brands, fascinating technology and a globally balanced distribution strategy.”

Global sales for MINI reached a new milestone by climbing to a record 301,526 vehicles in 2012 (+5.8%; prev. yr. 285,060). In December, sales remained around last year’s level with 28,751 vehicles sold (-2.4%; prev. yr. 29,467). The MINI Countryman recorded double-digit growth, with a total of 102,250 deliveries in 2012 (+14.8%; prev. yr. 89,036). Further momentum for the brand is expected with the launch of the MINI Paceman in spring this year. The U.S. remains the largest market for MINI, with a record-breaking 66,123 cars sold last year, followed by the U.K. with 50,367.

Rolls-Royce remains the clear market leader in the ultra-luxury-class segment. Sales for the full year 2012 reached a record sales result of 3,575 motor cars, the highest annual sales in the 108-year history of Rolls-Royce and the third consecutive record. Rolls-Royce also reported 534 deliveries in December (+12%). Demand for all Phantom and Ghost variants was strong. Phantom Series II was unveiled in March at the Geneva Motor Show to worldwide acclaim and production has been increased at the company’s Goodwood manufacturing plant to cope with customer demand. Bespoke sales in 2012 reached record levels.

With a total of 106,358 motorcycles (+2.0%; prev. yr. 104,286), BMW Motorrad delivered more vehicles in 2012 than ever before in its nearly 90-year history. In December, 6,069 Motorcycles were delivered worldwide, which reflects an increase of 43.4% over the same month in 2011 (4,232). Husqvarna delivered 10,751 motorcycles in 2012 (+15.8%; prev. yr. 9,286). December accounted for 1,267 deliveries (-4.7%; 1,330).

The BMW Group underlined its strategy of a balanced distribution of sales worldwide by achieving growth on all continents in 2012. Despite the challenges in Europe, the BMW Group increased sales of its vehicles in its largest sales region to 864,812 last year (+0.8%; prev. yr. 857,792). In the region, the company achieved its best ever sales in the U.K. with a total of 174,215 vehicles (prev. yr. 167,108; +4.3%) and BMW once again claimed the title of number one premium brand in the market. BMW Group sales in the dynamic market of Russia climbed by 33.1% to a record 40,144 vehicles (prev. yr. 30,167).

In Asia, BMW Group sales soared by 31.6% last year to 491,512 vehicles (prev. yr. 373,613). Mainland China accounted for 326,444 deliveries of BMW and MINI vehicles, an increase of 40.4% over the previous year (232,586). The BMW Group posted double digit growth in several other Asian markets including South Korea (33,500; +22.3%), Middle East (21,314; +14.2%) and Japan (56,607; +18.9%).

In the Americas, the BMW Group also achieved double-digit gains in 2012 with 424,379 vehicles delivered, an increase of 11.9% on the previous year (379,332). In the U.S., BMW Group sales climbed by 13.8% to 347,583 units (prev. yr. 305,418) and BMW once again claimed the title of number one premium brand in the U.S.

Sales on the continent of Africa climbed by 14.5% in 2012 to 37,649 units (prev. yr. 32,890) and the region of Oceania increased sales by 8.0% to 23,000 vehicles (prev. yr. 21,297).

BMW Group sales in/up to December 2012 at a glance

Audi: around 1,455,100 deliveries in 2012

Worldwide sales climb by 11.7 percent
Sales chief Luca de Meo: “New record highs in all regions of the world”
SUV models and A6 family the strongest growth drivers

A new record-breaking year for AUDI AG: In 2012 the company sold around 1,455,100 premium automobiles worldwide, 11.7 percent more than in the previous year. The Ingolstadt-based carmaker thus clearly surpassed its annual target announced in summer of 1.4 million cars – above all thanks to strong growth rates in North America and Asia. With deliveries exceeding the previous year’s figure by more than 152,000, this was Audi’s second-highest jump in sales in the history of the company. Only one year previously, in 2011, Audi had attracted around 210,000 additional customers. With around 110,400 deliveries (+0.8%) in December 2012, Audi reached again the strong sales total of the excellent final month of 2011.

“In 2012, Audi achieved new record totals in every region worldwide, including in Europe. We managed to buck the negative market trend and continued to grow there, extending our lead as the strongest premium brand,” says Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing. “Worldwide, our new models in particular gave us an extra lift over the past year, most notably the very popular Audi Q3: It has helped the entire Audi SUV family become a mainstay of our success, now accounting for one-quarter of all deliveries for the first time.”

The global rollout of the Q3 began in October 2011, so 2012 was its first full year on market. In Europe alone, Audi handed over around 78,700 units of its compact SUV to customers over the past year. Another model that has been on sale since fall 2011 and has provided a strong stimulus on the brand’s home continent is the Audi A6 Avant. Around 60 percent of A6 customers in Europe opt for the station wagon version of the full-size model; A6 Avant sales in the region rose by 38.9 percent to around 63,100 automobiles in 2012. Across all models, AUDI AG sold around 739,000 cars in Europe in the past year, thus advancing by a further 1.8 percent amid a difficult market environment.

While base effects from the prior-year month and the forthcoming model changeover for the Audi A3 Sportback impacted December’s delivery totals for Europe, the four rings achieved strong sales figures over the full year especially in its three biggest European markets: In Germany AUDI AG increased its sales by 3.6 percent to the new high of 263,163 deliveries. This gave the company the highest market share in its history: 8.6 percent. Over the past ten years, the Ingolstadt-based carmaker has almost doubled its annual sales in the UK. Business in 2012 contributed to this performance with growth of 7.2 percent to 123,640 cars, again an all-time high. By comparison, Audi sold 65,552 cars in the United Kingdom in 2002.

Amid a contracting market, Audi France was able to repeat the previous year’s record sales in 2012. With 62,202 deliveries (+0.3%) the four rings confirmed their leading position in the premium segment in France. The clearly negative economic situation led to declining sales in Italy (-17.0% to 50,085 deliveries) and in Spain (-11.7% to 36,139 deliveries) in 2012. In both countries, however, the registration figures for Audi managed to hold their ground much better than the market as a whole. By contrast, Audi experienced dynamic sales growth in Russia in 2012: 33,512 cars delivered to Russian customers represent an increase of 44.1 percent on the previous year – among Audi’s top ten sales markets worldwide, Russia was consequently the fastest-growing. By comparison, AUDI AG’s sales total for 2009 in Russia was 15,009 cars, less than half its current figure.

In the United States Audi established a new sales record in every single month of the past year and further accelerated growth from 2011: By the end of 2012 139,310 premium cars of the brand had been shipped to the United States, 18.5 percent more than in the previous year. Within the space of five years, Audi of America has thus increased the four rings’ customer base in the United States by almost 50 percent (2007 deliveries: 93,506 cars). 2012 saw especially the models in the prestigious full-size class give Audi a further boost in the U.S. market: Combined sales of the A6, the A7 Sportback, the Q7 and the flagship model A8 were up 39 percent. Sales of the A6 Sedan alone, the new generation of which was available at U.S. dealers for its first full year in 2012, climbed to 18,998 units, a rise of 73.7 percent on the prior-year total. Audi’s sales performance in the two other countries of the North American region was similarly impressive in the past year: In Canada sales were up 18.6 percent at 20,000 automobiles, and in Mexico up 17.7 percent at 9,482.

In China Audi remained the clear premium-segment leader at the close of 2012. With 405,838 deliveries in 2012 the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer broke through the barrier of 400,000 cars for the first time ever – having crossed the threshold of 300,000 units only one year earlier. Main drivers behind the 29.6 percent growth rate were the Changchun-built models: Despite a model changeover in March, for the first time ever Audi sold over 130,000 of the long-wheelbase version of the A6 Sedan in China within the space of a year (132,872 deliveries). The A6 L thus remains the top-seller in the brand’s Chinese model range and the most popular premium automobile in that market. 93,030 of Audi’s Chinese customers opted for the Q5 last year, a significant increase of 63.8 percent on 2011. Worldwide, too, the performance SUV was again the unchallenged leader in its segment in 2012 with around 206,000 units delivered.

A large number of emerging growth markets likewise became increasingly important for Audi in 2012 thanks to their high growth rates: These include for example South Korea (+46.0% to 15,100 cars), South Africa (+15.5% to 16,771 cars) and India, where the brand’s sales gained 63.4 percent to 9,003 units. The company’s sales in Turkey, too, put on a spurt of 17.7 percent to 14,487 units, making it one of over 50 markets where Audi established a new sales record last year.