The Joy: BMW On A High

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Remember carmageddon? When the world came to an end? When luxury was definitely not PC? When we would only drive small cars or none at all, forever and ever? For BMW, it’s just like a bad dream. Munich’s BMW Group sold more vehicles in March than ever before in any month of the company’s storied history, the company tells us in an email. BMW sold a total of 165,842 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce in March, 17 percent over March in the prior year. BMW exceeded even its own pre-crisis sales high of 152,721 vehicles, recorded in December 2007. Who’s buying all those cars?

Americans (of all stripes) have a new-found appetite for the white-blue roundel. Sales in the Americas rose 18.6 percent to 32,020 units. Europe was steady, showing a gain of 7.8 percent to 93,540 units. The true growth comes from Asia (and we all know what that means), which was up 52 percent to 35,048 units.

As the table below shows, BMW is doing well in all segments – if we overlook the slight weakness with Husqvarna sewing machines motorcycles. And look at those Rollers! They sold in three months what changed hands during a whole year in the bad old days.

Also, the numbers bode well for Daimler and Audi. They tend to move in a pack.

March 2011ChangeYTDChangeBMW Group


Automobiles165,842+17.0%382,758+21.3%BMW134,892+14.6%321,175+20.8%MINI30,689+28.5%60,860+22.6%Rolls-Royce Motor


Cars261+108.8%723+159.1%BMW


Motorcycles11,675+1.2%23,109+10.9%Husqvarna


Motorcycles676-17.0%1,940+18.3%
Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments
Join the conversation
8 of 16 comments
  • VanillaDude VanillaDude on Apr 08, 2011

    I don't know who is buying BMWs, but it isn't just wealthy people because I know of quite a few who are teetering on bankruptsy, but unwilling to face their new economic reality when choosing their auto lifestyle statement. To many BMW drivers, they seem ready to drive to the poor house as long as they can do it in their BMW. It is a matter of priorities. A lot of folks who do not have the economic ability to drive one, are. Living for today, I guess. So please, no obsolete historic tripe about the supposed Gilded Age Robber Barons. Companies like BMW couldn't exist if they depended on such a small market. Today is the 21st Century, not the 19th, and Scrooge was a fictional character.

    • See 2 previous
    • VanillaDude VanillaDude on Apr 11, 2011

      @Ubermensch Krugman is a Nobel prize winning economist, and a utter boob which is proof that Nobels are not given out based on intelligence or accuracy. Since you are probably not 200 years old, your knowledge of the Gilded Age would not be based on primary sources. For you to make the erroneous claim that we are living in such an age today, and that it could actually be worse than the so-called Gilded Age, demonstrates a lack of balance in your understanding. Your statement that a great percentage of American drivers drive BMWs counters your Gilded Age argument. There are no boogeymen or boogeywomen eating your lunch. No one likes spoiled ham.

  • Flybrian Flybrian on Apr 08, 2011

    The only Bimmer I would dare own would be an older 7er with because it seems at least slightly insulated from the rampant douchebaggery placing image over substance that permeates (at least in my area) the BMW ownership roster.

  • R.Fortier1796 R.Fortier1796 on Apr 08, 2011

    Good on BMW. I'm with the Doc up there, not much I wouldn't do for the new sport bike, and I'm looking at getting a BMW before the year is up. Not new, though...just need to find the right E46 TiAg over Imola or Cinnamon SMGII. Trying to convince the girl to go for a 3er, but she is just about dead set on an SUV, and the X is out of her range.

  • Slance66 Slance66 on Apr 08, 2011

    There are not nearly enough "rich" people to explain the numbers, especially when you add other expensive brands. People once paid cash. Then they made a solid down-payment and paid a small amount over 36 months. Now people lease or put little down on long loans and pay far more for their vehicle than is economically wise. Lots of people of ordinary means don't like to be thought of as being of ordinary means, and so they buy a 3-series, C-class, A4, Lexus IS or Infiniti G, or any of the smaller SUVs by the same makers. Even the Mini is a great car for these people, many of whom are young and who are not saving any money. It's just like the housing bubble but hasn't popped. Current car prices are probably not sustainable. By the way, many of the actual rich people I know are smarter with their money, and buy CPO versions of these brands and drive them into the ground.

    • R.Fortier1796 R.Fortier1796 on Apr 08, 2011

      I used to work at a BMW dealership, and would often tell people that CPO is the way to go if you wanted a BMW. Unless you just HAVE to HAVE a [insert current year], there wasn't any reason not to go Certified. You get the warranty and someone else ate the larger depriciation.

Next