April wasn’t a bad month for BMW. Sales continue increase, growing another 1.4% for a total of 23,816 over the 23,482 vehicles sold in April 2018. That and the slight growth BMW also managed for January put it ahead of Mercedes, selling 3,584 more luxury vehicles than Mercedes-Benz during the first four months of the year. Mercedes, meanwhile, slumped 16 percent last month.
Auto Mechanics — Nerds on the Sidelines
Not that it’s exactly a race. BMW and Mercedes are both great cars — with their reputation for reliability, stellar performance, and supreme stopping power. (BMW and Mercedes make some of the best brakes in the industry.) But at our Cincinnati auto shop, our mechanics are car buffs. They live and breathe anything on four wheels, especially European vehicles. They just can’t get enough — not only of what’s under the hood, but how each brand performs in the marketplace.
A significant factor of BMW’s sustained success in the US is its BMW Sports Activity Vehicles, particularly the BMW X3, BMW X5 and the BMW X7, which sold 2,291 units in its second full month of availability.
The all-new BMW 3 Series sedan was also popular, with a 2.6% increase over April 2018.
SUVs Sustain Popularity
“Sales in April were again impacted by model changes and availability constraints of our high-volume SUV and compact model lines,” Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA, told BMWBlog. “We expect increased vehicle availability in the coming months.”
Audi Continues to Sink
Audi, on the other hand, is not having such a hot year. April sales show a 21% decrease due to the slumping volume-leading Q5 SUV. Audi’s deliveries have missed their goal 3 out of 4 months this year — down 8.7% though April.
We hope Audi manages to sustain. It’s a beautiful car — one we love to repair and drive.
