Congrats, BMW!
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s BMW brand outsold Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz last month to cement its victory as the top luxury brand in the U.S. for 2011.
BMW’s sales rose 15 percent to 26,834 in December compared with a year earlier, the Munich-based automaker said today in a statement. With total 2011 sales at 247,907, BMW outsold Mercedes by 2,715 vehicles.
“BMW Group sales momentum has been increasing all year and this new burst of consumer confidence filled our dealer showrooms putting” BMW “over the top,” Ludwig Willisch, chief executive officer of BMW of North America, said today in a statement.
The battle between BMW and Mercedes to replace Toyota Motor Corp. (7203)’s Lexus as the top luxury brand in the U.S. after 11 years was helped by a lack of the Japanese automaker’s production following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The competition was so intense between BMW and Mercedes that each side refused to release their sales results yesterday until the other went first, two people familiar with the situation said. Other automakers announced December and full- year U.S. sales yesterday.
Researcher Autodata Corp. released estimates yesterday for the manufacturers using “credible industry sources,” Autodata said in an e-mail. Autodata’s results showed BMW in the lead.
Ultimately, Mercedes went first, releasing its results on PR Newswire at 8:56 a.m. New York time. BMW followed posting its release on its website about 11 a.m.
Mercedes U.S. deliveries, aided by a refreshed C-Class sedan and redesigned M-Class sport-utility vehicle, rose 28 percent to 25,701 vehicles in December, Mercedes said in its statement. Deliveries of Mercedes vehicles for the year rose 13 percent to 245,192 in the U.S.
The results exclude Daimler’s Mercedes Sprinter and Freightliner vans, and Smart cars and BMW’s Mini brand, which aren’t luxury vehicles. The 2011 full-year figures also exclude sales of the Maybach brand.
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