BMW beats Mercedes-Benz to claim first U.S. luxury sales crown

[BGM]

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee

How, exactly, did BMW experience "continual growth in sales" with "down-sized dealer allocations"? By opening new dealers "during that time"? I think not...

Dealer allocation does not include cars that are ordered. Which is a substantial amount.

[Alan Smithee]

Originally Posted by BGM

Dealer allocation does not include cars that are ordered. Which is a substantial amount.

I know for a fact that is not how it works with PCNA, where orders come out of dealer allocations. Perhaps BMWNA works differently, but it does not make sense to me that it would. Also doesn't make sense to me that during a recession, the amount of "ordered cars" increases vs. "allocated cars", making up your claimed delta between reduced allocations and increased sales. That would imply dealers were without cars on lots, which certainly has not been the case in this area the last few years...

[Alan Smithee]

1) We'll see. Obviously Lexus/BMW/MB have been able to pull it off so far, but I question how long it can continue. Especially with VW/Audi/Porsche hell-bent on world dominance.

2) For under $50k, Hyundai has a 429hp 5.0 V8. Comparable BMW 5-series in that price range has a 2.0 4-cylinder turbo. I'm just sayin'...

[LeMansX5]

More....dirty tricks when competition gets fierce.
After an "Unusual" Delay, BMW Claims Luxury Sales Crown | TheDetroitBureau.com

Mercedes at one point asked dealers to each roll a number of vehicles into their test fleets which allowed them to be counted as “sold” units. They were to be moved into used car inventory a day later, with dealers getting hefty bonuses – and buyers promised like-new warranties.

[motordavid]

Typical 'sales unit' maneuvering...the 'Big Three' were masters of cooking numbers in the '60s, '70s & '80s, for bragging rights and mkt share numbers.

This BMW/MB arm wrestle is a continuation of the We're Numbah One syndrome. But, really who will remember, all during this year, and does it really matter to anyone out seriously shopping for a car, of either, or any brand.

We used to load up our distributors at end of a slower than normal/predicted qtr, trying to make our quarterly number, but returns were hell for the first month of that next qtr. ;>)
GL, mD

[LeMansX5]

More on battle....
Mercedes, BMW Swap Barbs Over U.S. Sales - Bloomberg