June 2015 Sales Thread

[mmcartalk]

Thanks, so that doesn't explain 5 series sales slowdown for the month of June. This gen 5 series are hugely popular around here, sometimes it seems like I see more in a day than Camry, Accords.

Well, yeah, that's California and Silicon Valley for you...a high-income area with lots of affluent car-owners. Same here in the D.C. area, with its Government and high-tech affluence............BMWs and their competition here are as common as ants.

 

[IS-SV]

Well, yeah, that's California and Silicon Valley for you...a high-income area with lots of affluent car-owners. Same here in the D.C. area, with its Government and high-tech affluence............BMWs and their competition here are as common as ants.

32K BMW's sold in June, impressive lead over Mercedes and Lexus in that month.

 

[mmcartalk]

32K BMW's sold in June, impressive lead over Mercedes and Lexus in that month.

Agreed that's impressive, but don't you think that is (partially) some car buyers still living in the past? It's no secret to those who follow car reviews (and, unfortunately, that doesn't include much of the car-buying public), that newer BMWs, because of their electric power steering and less-dynamic chassis-tuning, are just not the same as they were ten or even five years ago. Yet, some may (?) be buying or leasing their new BMWs without a thorough test-drive...simply because that's the way they remembered their last BMW's road-manners. I'm a firm believer than, when buying or leasing a car, you know exactly what you are getting.

 

[IS-SV]

Agreed that's impressive, but don't you think that is (partially) some car buyers still living in the past? It's no secret to those who follow car reviews (and, unfortunately, that doesn't include much of the car-buying public), that newer BMWs, because of their electric power steering and less-dynamic chassis-tuning, are just not the same as they were ten or even five years ago. Yet, some may (?) be buying or leasing their new BMWs without a thorough test-drive...simply because that's the way they remembered their last BMW's road-manners. I'm a firm believer than, when buying or leasing a car, you know exactly what you are getting.

No, I think people know what they are getting, they still test drive cars. That's what makes the top 3 brands so dominate. BMW, Mercedes and Lexus sport sedans today have an attractive blend of sport and luxury that lower tier brands have not achieved. These sport sedans especially are about a ride/handling combination expected of a premium sedan ,not the handling of a Lotus or Porsche roadster. It's somewhat subtle and addictive, a little hard to describe. The old BMW legendary stuff is more hearsay and advertising hype than reality, and the ride quality wasn't what it is today. Those truly wanting the best steering feel and handling often went with Porsche cars, etc.

 

[mmcartalk]

The old BMW legendary stuff is more hearsay and advertising hype than reality, and the ride quality wasn't what it is today. Those truly wanting the best steering feel and handling often went with Porsche cars, etc.

I myself found a lot of reality in the old BMW image (though, for several different reasons, I never owned one). But I do agree that you have a point about Porsches. Added to that, Porsches, though outrageously expensive to service and repair when out of warranty, have become probably the most reliable German make.

 

[Mr. Pontiac]

Lexus Canada June sales results are now available online.

 

[IS-SV]

I myself found a lot of reality in the old BMW image (though, for several different reasons, I never owned one). But I do agree that you have a point about Porsches. Added to that, Porsches, though outrageously expensive to service and repair when out of warranty, have become probably the most reliable German make.

I'm glad you found reality in slogan "ultimate driving experience", that's good feedback for the ad agency handling BMW account back then. I know you have never owned a BMW (w/recent ownership of base Outback and base Verano if I remember) and and the reasons are not any of our business. But to be honest, sometimes I'm wondering if you even like cars and if you even like driving....( but that's too OT for now, lol)

Too much typical Internet hearsay and sweeping generalizations about "outrageously expensive" Porsches. Porsches have been no more expensive than BMWs and Mercedes to service and repair out of warranty. Many of us know from actual ownership experience.

 

[mmcartalk]

I'm glad you found reality in slogan "ultimate driving experience", that's good feedback for the ad agency handling BMW account back then.

So did many of the auto mags. BMWs routinely won comparison threads for years.

I couldn't care less how BMW's ad-agencies worked. I simply went by how I felt when I had chances to test-drive or review BMWs....anything else was beyond my control.

I know you have never owned a BMW and and the reasons are not any of our business. But to be honest, sometimes I'm wondering if you even like cars and if you even like driving....( but that's too OT for now, lol)

LOL. Rest assured....you can stop wondering. I like cars very much, and I like driving very much, even some occasional mildly aggressive driving with a car designed for it...though I'm not a classic aggressive driver. If I didn't like cars, I wouldn't waste my time on forums. And, yes, I just liked the way that older BMWs felt behind the wheel and their road manners.

Too much typical Internet hearsay and sweeping generalizations about "outrageously expensive" Porsches. Porsches have been no more expensive than BMWs and Mercedes to service and repair out of warranty. Many of us know from actual ownership experience.

I've seen several of my friends get the shaft on Porsche repair-bills...from their actual ownership. Of course, BMW and M-B shops aren't necessarily chump-change either...especially for an S-class.

 

[IS-SV]

All good, glad to hear you enjoy cars ^. We have seen enough threads about the predictable subjective comparo write ups by the car mags, many of which are becoming obsolete mags lately. And being a Lexus forum, many here enjoy the subtle differences the top premium brands offer. Yes AMG (parts specifically) repairs are up amongst the highest of the premium brands, not a plus.

 

[Pedro Roldão]

1 LFA??

 

[IS-SV]

1 LFA??

Wonder where that's getting delivered to?...

 

[IS-SV]

Well, yeah, that's California and Silicon Valley for you...a high-income area with lots of affluent car-owners. Same here in the D.C. area, with its Government and high-tech affluence............BMWs and their competition here are as common as ants.

Yes SF greater Bay Area is highest income metro region in the entire U.S., probably no coincidence that tech capital of the world is within that region. A tendency to favor imports including BMW's has only grown in last decade.

 

[mmcartalk]

Yes SF greater Bay Area is highest income metro region in the entire U.S., probably no coincidence that tech capital of the world is within that region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-income_counties_in_the_United_States.

Agreed. Most of the sources I've seen (including the Census figures, which is probably the most extensive data) show San Francisco/San Jose in the lead among metro areas, with the D.C. region as a whole either second or third place, depending on sours. On a county level, though, a couple of Northern Virginia localities near Washington, D.C. (including my own) rank highest. Fairfax County, VA, and Montgomery County, MD have been nicknamed the Silicon Valley of the East. My brother, in fact, works for one of this firms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-income_counties_in_the_United_States

A tendency to favor imports including BMW's has only grown in last decade

An interesting question, though, is WHY? Opinions differ, of course. A number of them have been put forth, and I'm sure we'll hear a lot more. Perhaps BMW IS now reaching a wider market now than it did with its former driver-centered cars. Another thing helping imports is that Cadillac and Lincoln have not marketed well until just very recently. And while the MKC is a good start on Lincoln's path to regeneration, it's going to take more than just one vehicle. That's why I'm also very interested to see how the upcoming totally-redesigned MKX does on the MKC's heels.

 

[farid]

Sorry for the delay, a billion things going on right now....I hope to finish this by tomorrow...

Luxury & Entry Level Luxury Brands
BMW- 32,176
Mercedes-29,583
Lexus- 26,121
Audi-18,262
Buick- 17,531
Acura- 15, 527
Cadillac-13,515
Infiniti-9,985
Lincoln- 8,326

Entry Level Lux
C-class-7,413
3-series-6,891
ES- 4,742
Lacrosse-
TLX- 3,986
IS- 3,821
CLA-
A3- 3,482
Q50- 3,470
MKZ- 2,543
XC60-
A4- 2,863
ATS- 2,211
Regal-
CT- 1,118
1/2 series- 1,067
Q40-748

Midsize Luxury Coupes
4 series- 6.625
RC- 1,129
A5-1,101
Q60-366

Mid-Size
5 series- 2,965
E-class-
A6- 2,431
GS- 1,643
CTS-1,535
Q70-613
MKS- 525
RLX/RL- 224

Flagship
S-class-
7 series- 832
LS-
A8- 647
Panamera-
Equus-170
K900- 168

Small SUV
RDX- 5,056
Q5- 4,270
NX- 3,503
MKC- 1,947
X3- 2,301
Macon-
QX50-417

Midsize SUV
X5- 7,508
RX- 7,233
Enclave-
SRX-5,746
MDX- 4,592
M-class-3,991
QX60-3,003
GX- 2,079
MKX- 1,936
Cayenne-
Q7- 1,630
X6- 1,448
MKT-376
QX70-372
ZDX

Ultra SUV
Escalade-2,514
GL-
Navigator-999
QX80- 996
G-wagon-
LX- 223

Other Coupes
Mustang- 11,719
Challenger-
Camaro-8,611
Corvette-2,807
i8- 137
Z4- 105
Viper-
R8-51
LFA-1

tnanks for your very good post...please allways post.

 

[mmcartalk]

Wonder where that's getting delivered to?...

Lindsay Lohan, maybe? After two CL65 AMGs and two Porsches, she needs another expensive car to wreck.

 

[CIF]

Regarding unusual figures like X5 June sales, nothing to worry about. There are always anomalies and sales exceptions from time to time. Could be a fire sale, or a lease special, or just a random coincidence. These anomalies never last.

 

[mmcartalk]

Regarding unusual figures like X5 June sales, nothing to worry about. There are always anomalies and sales exceptions from time to time. Could be a fire sale, or a lease special, or just a random coincidence. These anomalies never last.

I'm not necessarily saying this as a fact (more of a guess on my part), but the X4 and X6 styling could (?) also be a factor in pushing potential buyers into the X3 and X5 instead. Some SUV buys don't want that droop-rear end. We saw, for example, what a flop it turned out to be on the 550GT. When I reviewed the 550GT, a number of readers predicted poor sales.........and they were right.

 

[IS-SV]

I'm not necessarily saying this as a fact (more of a guess on my part), but the X4 and X6 styling could (?) also be a factor in pushing potential buyers into the X3 and X5 instead. Some SUV buys don't want that droop-rear end. We saw, for example, what a flop it turned out to be on the 550GT. When I reviewed the 550GT, a number of readers predicted poor sales.........and they were right.

Yes 550 GT, I recall laughing at that ugly overweight back of sales lot dust collector, wasn't hard to predict sales results.

 

[mmcartalk]

Yes 550 GT, I recall laughing at that ugly overweight back of sales lot dust collector, wasn't hard to predict sales results.

Yes, you and the others were ultimately correct about sales...but IMO it was still a shame that it didn't sell. Even with the controversial rear end (and hatchback versatility), by my standards, that was one NICE driving car. 443 HP V8, slick-smooth transmission, effective brakes, BMW chassis engineering, smooth, quiet, steady as a rock at any sane cruise-speed (though technically a 5-series, it used the 7-series platform)....I found it a true pleasure to drive, if not to look at.

 

[IS-SV]

Yes, you and the others were ultimately correct about sales...but IMO it was still a shame that it didn't sell. Even with the controversial rear end (and hatchback versatility), by my standards, that was one NICE driving car. 443 HP V8, slick-smooth transmission, effective brakes, BMW chassis engineering, smooth, quiet, steady as a rock at any sane cruise-speed (though technically a 5-series, it used the 7-series platform)....I found it a true pleasure to drive, if not to look at.

Yes, and plenty of premium cars in that price range achieved slightly better measurable handling, straight line performance, fuel efficiency, plus better aerodynamics and stability at speed, without being that ugly. No actual premium car buyers are missing it, sales numbers prove that. Smooth, quiet, steady at sane autobahn cruising speeds is expected of premium cars. No need to dwell on that chubby flop.

IMHO BMW has done a better job focusing on North American market in recent years, and the strong sales trends show (monthly blips by model will always happen). As BMW improves its lux attributes and Mercedes and Lexus enhances sporting attributes, the big 3 premium brands become more and more alike to drive, not a bad thing really. And all are pretty sweet rides as compared to regular brands, with distinctive styling differences of course.