Soaring demand in China, Brazil and India helped the world's three largest luxury-car makers eke out small global sales gains last month, the latest sign that a recovery in the premium segment is gaining traction.
BMW AG's core brand recorded its first year-over-year sales increase of 2009, with a 0.4% rise last month world-wide to 95,859 vehicles. But for the first 10 month of the year BMW, the world's largest premium auto maker by sales, posted a 15% drop to 873,318 cars.
Demand for cars contracted sharply at the end of last year as credit markets dried up and consumer confidence waned. As a result, comparative monthly sales figures from 2008 will be easier for many car makers to surpass in coming months.
BMW's China sales jumped 81% in October to 9,558 cars. Sales rose 56% in India to 343 cars and more than doubled in Brazil to 838. By the end of last month, BMW had surpassed sales for all of last year in the three countries.
Those three markets plus Russia will be crucial for industry growth in coming years, and makers are pushing hard to increase their presence in these so-called BRIC countries.
Thanks mainly to its strong presence in China, Audi AG, the premium division of Volkswagen AG, achieved a 0.4% global sales increase last month to 82,750 cars. But sales for the year through October period fell 6.7% from a year earlier to 787,900.
Audi expects to significantly exceed its initial target of 130,000 sales in China this year and predicts the country will trump its home turf of Germany as its largest market in 2012 or 2013. Its annual sales in China are expected to soar to 250,000 cars by then as Audi increases local production and expands its dealership network.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi's executive-board member responsible for sales and marketing, said the company forecasts Russian sales at about 30,000 cars in 2015, up from 16,000 this year.
Russia had appeared on track to surpass Germany as Europe's largest car market, but demand collapsed when the financial crisis hit. Russia's economy is recovering far more slowly than those of other BRIC nations.
Mr. Schwarzenbauer said he expects the overall Indian market to exceed three million vehicles in 2015 from roughly 1.3 million a year now. Audi's sales in India are on track to come in at 1,650 cars this year and to rise to more than 2,000 next year, Mr. Schwarzenbauer said. He said the number of potential luxury-car buyers in India is growing, but road-quality problems still present obstacles.
In Brazil, Mr. Schwarzenbauer estimates Audi's sales at 2,300 cars this year. Sales could reach 5,000 in 2013, two years earlier than initially expected.
Daimler AG on Friday reported a 7.2% rise in October sales for its core Mercedes-Benz brand to 88,400 cars. Its sales in China rose 78% to 6,600 vehicles.
China has become the biggest market for the flagship Mercedes S-Class sedan. Mercedes-Benz's global sales fell 14% for the year through October to 826,000 cars.
Auto sales in China continued to boom in October, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Monday.
China sales rose almost 73% from a year earlier to 1.23 million vehicles, the trade group said, though that was slower than September's 78% rise and August's 82%. Sales have been boosted by government-stimulus measures.
BMW AG's core brand recorded its first year-over-year sales increase of 2009, with a 0.4% rise last month world-wide to 95,859 vehicles. But for the first 10 month of the year BMW, the world's largest premium auto maker by sales, posted a 15% drop to 873,318 cars.
Demand for cars contracted sharply at the end of last year as credit markets dried up and consumer confidence waned. As a result, comparative monthly sales figures from 2008 will be easier for many car makers to surpass in coming months.
BMW's China sales jumped 81% in October to 9,558 cars. Sales rose 56% in India to 343 cars and more than doubled in Brazil to 838. By the end of last month, BMW had surpassed sales for all of last year in the three countries.
Those three markets plus Russia will be crucial for industry growth in coming years, and makers are pushing hard to increase their presence in these so-called BRIC countries.
Thanks mainly to its strong presence in China, Audi AG, the premium division of Volkswagen AG, achieved a 0.4% global sales increase last month to 82,750 cars. But sales for the year through October period fell 6.7% from a year earlier to 787,900.
Audi expects to significantly exceed its initial target of 130,000 sales in China this year and predicts the country will trump its home turf of Germany as its largest market in 2012 or 2013. Its annual sales in China are expected to soar to 250,000 cars by then as Audi increases local production and expands its dealership network.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi's executive-board member responsible for sales and marketing, said the company forecasts Russian sales at about 30,000 cars in 2015, up from 16,000 this year.
Russia had appeared on track to surpass Germany as Europe's largest car market, but demand collapsed when the financial crisis hit. Russia's economy is recovering far more slowly than those of other BRIC nations.
Mr. Schwarzenbauer said he expects the overall Indian market to exceed three million vehicles in 2015 from roughly 1.3 million a year now. Audi's sales in India are on track to come in at 1,650 cars this year and to rise to more than 2,000 next year, Mr. Schwarzenbauer said. He said the number of potential luxury-car buyers in India is growing, but road-quality problems still present obstacles.
In Brazil, Mr. Schwarzenbauer estimates Audi's sales at 2,300 cars this year. Sales could reach 5,000 in 2013, two years earlier than initially expected.
Daimler AG on Friday reported a 7.2% rise in October sales for its core Mercedes-Benz brand to 88,400 cars. Its sales in China rose 78% to 6,600 vehicles.
China has become the biggest market for the flagship Mercedes S-Class sedan. Mercedes-Benz's global sales fell 14% for the year through October to 826,000 cars.
Auto sales in China continued to boom in October, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Monday.
China sales rose almost 73% from a year earlier to 1.23 million vehicles, the trade group said, though that was slower than September's 78% rise and August's 82%. Sales have been boosted by government-stimulus measures.
(Source: irco.biz)
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