.

.
July 10, 2003
.
This Week:

• The New BMW 6 Series Coupe

• Continued growth for Porsche in North America

• Land Rover Launches Comprehensive Marketing Campaign

• Toyota Will Hold Line On Pricing Of Second-Generation Prius, Offer Early-Buyer Program For "Prius Pioneers"

• Ford F-150 Continues Tradition Of Value Throughout 2004 Lineup Of America's Best-Seller

• Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars Consolidates Leading Position in Premium Segment during First Half of 2003

• New Beetle Cabriolet with best safety results in ADAC roll-over test

• BMW Group Successful In The First Half of 2003

• First-half 2003: Renault consolidates position as Europe's leading brand on the strength of new models and targets increased market share

© 1998 - 2003 Copyright & 
Disclaimer
Automotive Intelligence,
www.autointell.com
All Rights Reserved .
For questions please contact
editor@autointell.com  

.
BMW Group Successful In The First Half of 2003
 

New 5 Series sedan presented as MINI delivers over 250,000 units Munich - The BMW Group's primary focus in the first half of 2003 was to prepare for the market launch of the new BMW 5 Series sedan. Last weekend, the fifth generation of the BMW 5 Series was presented at dealerships throughout Europe as part of its International debut-a process that will continue through the autumn of 2003. Given this situation, the Company confirms its forecast: The BMW Group, and the BMW and MINI brands, will be above previous year's sales levels at the end of this year and will therefore achieve new records.

In all, consumer deliveries by the BMW Group in the first half of the year increased slightly from 543,760 deliveries to 544,850 (an increase of 0.2%). In June 2003 alone, the BMW Group sold 96,970 BMWs and MINIs to consumers whereas in June 2002, 94,420 units were brought home worldwide (an increase of 2.7%).

Due to product change cycles, deliveries of BMW cars to customers in the first half of 2003 amounted to 454,970 units, a decrease by 5.5% versus the same period last year, which amounted to 481,340 vehicles. Based on month-to-month figures, development of customer deliveries is becoming increasingly dynamic thanks to the positive effects of the updated BMW 3 Series Coupes and Convertibles as well as the Z4 roadster, both of which have been more noticed on the market. The Z4 roadster, for example, has taken on the top position in the world market, as the leader in the Open Premium Car segment with 5,840 units sold in June 2003.

With the new BMW 5 Series becoming available globally during the second half of the year, development of BMW brand customer deliveries will increase in momentum. Overall, customer deliveries by the BMW brand in June were still down slightly on a monthly basis from 82,180 to 81,720 units (a drop of 0.6%). In comparison, the decrease in April 2003 had been 7.2% and in May 2003, 3.5%.

Sales of BMW brand cars in the USA amounted to 119,570 vehicles compared to last year's figures of 117,740 units (+1.6%) in the first half of 2003, making the United States the BMW brand's largest market. BMW also remains the segment leader in the USA.

Deliveries of BMW brand cars to customers in Germany amounted to 117,430 units (a drop of 8.4% from last year's 128,190 vehicles) in the first six months. China remains as the fastest-growing market with first-half-of-year sales jumping from 6,660 units in 2002 to 9,140 units in 2003, for an increase of 37.3%.

More Than 250,000 MINIs Delivered To Consumers Since Its Introduction

Two years after the International debut of the MINI in July of 2001, the 250,000th MINI was delivered in June 2003. In the first six months of 2003, a total of 89,880 consumers took home a MINI. This number reflects an increase by 44.0% over the same period in 2002, which had 62,420 units sold. In June 2003 alone, MINI deliveries jumped 24.6% from 12,240 units to 15,240.

In the first half of 2003, BMW Motorrad was not able to maintain the high level it achieved in the first half of 2002. Total sales decreased by 3.0% to 51,580 units, compared to the previous year's 53,190 motorcycles sold. This trend was reversed in the month of June when a total of 9,410 units were delivered to customers compared to 9,180 in June 2002 (up 2.4 %).

(July 8, 2003)