'X' Marks the spot: Bimmer sales chug along

BMW Group increased global sales of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles by 12.1 percent in March and 13.8 percent for the first quarter of 2010.

The company sold 315,614 vehicles worldwide, up from 277,264 in the first three months of last year. In March, BMW Group sold 141,701 vehicles, up from 126,381 vehicles.

All three brands made strong gains during the month. Sales of BMW brand vehicles climbed 12.7 percent while Mini sales increased by 9.1 percent and Rolls-Royce sales were up 78.6 percent.

“We are back on our growth track in nearly all the automobile markets,” said Robertson. “We intend to continue improving on last year’s figures throughout the second quarter — thanks not least to the new BMW 5 Series sedan and new models such as the 3 Series coupe and convertible.”

He added that “for 2010 as a whole, we are aiming for healthy growth in the single-digit percent range.”

Sales gains were quarterly records in Brazil, up 131.2 percent; Russia, up 11.6 percent; India, up 32.5 percent; China, up 106.1 percent; Austria, up 23.1 percent; South Korea, up 65.8 percent; and Malaysia, 14 percent. Latin America as a market was up 71 percent, and the Middle East sales increased by 13.1 percent.

The BMW Group was the only German auto manufacturer also to make gains in its largest single market, Germany, where it expanded its market share. In the United States, the company posted a 7.4 percent increase for the first quarter.

The company recently announced that BMW Manufacturing Co., its sole manufacturing facility in the United States, had exported more than 1 million vehicles since it began operations in 1994. Currently, about 70 percent of the Greer plant’s production is exported — primarily through the Port of Charleston — to more than 120 markets worldwide.

BMW’s larger model series were strong contributors to first-quarter gains. Sales of the BMW 7 series grew by 54.1 percent, while the BMW X5 and X6 models, both produced in Greer, grew by 9.5 percent combined.

Robertson said new orders for the new X1 and 5 Series sedan models are “looking very good — easily exceeding our already high expectations.”

The new BMW 5 Series sedan has been available in Europe since late March and will launch in the United States in June. Initial deliveries of the new BMW 5 Series Touring and the new Mini Countryman will begin in the autumn of 2010

Land Rover Marches Ahead - record breaking sales month

According to industry sources, around 11,000 Land Rovers were sold in the UK in March, more than any other month since the brand was founded in 1948.
Land Rover, a British-based manufacturer now exporting across the world, has enjoyed a strong run globally so far this year, benefiting from the stabilising of the economy and the snow that engulfed the UK.


Its performance is a boost to Tata. The Indian conglomerate bought the company along with Jaguar from Ford in 2008 for $2.5bn (£1.5bn), only to then endure the luxury car makers losing £281m in the first 10 months under new ownership.
Monthly figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders are expected to show this week that Land Rover sales in March were 60pc up on last year, allowing the brand to breach its previous sales record of 10,600, set in March 2006. March has become the busiest month for sales in the UK since 1999, when, along with September, it was established as the month when new number plates launched.
Land Rover sales are being driven by a new range of models and upgrades, such as the Discovery 4 and Range Rover Sport, and the poor weather, which highlighted the resilience of 4x4 vehicles in a range of conditions.
The performance of Land Rover is more commendable because it has barely benefited from the UK scrappage scheme. The Freelander and Defender models have been relatively popular, but out of 400,000 vehicles allocated for the scheme, less than 2,000 sold were Land Rovers.
However, car dealerships have being reporting a recovery in demand for premium vehicles outside the scrappage scheme as company executives and cash-rich individuals regain confidence in the economic outlook.
In February, Tata Motors revealed that Jaguar Land Rover had returned to profit for the first time in more than a year after demand for Land Rovers surged across the world.
The luxury car maker recorded net profits of 4.6bn rupees (£68m) in the final three months of 2009, the first profit since the third quarter of 2008.
Land Rover sales increased 34pc, attracting customers in North America, Europe and China soared, partly thanks to government incentive schemes. Jaguar sales rose 11.5pc.

At VW, "R" Is for Sports

Volkswagen is officially creating a company to develop sporty cars; it will be called Volkswagen R GmbH.

This may sound familiar--VW already calls some of its specialty cars Rs--and now it's bundling sales and development all into one unit.

VW has the Scirocco R and the Golf R for cars, as well as the dynamic R Line of design trims.

The company will be headquartered near Wolfsburg, Germany, and have a headcount of more than 350.



Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100317/CARNEWS/100319860#ixzz0iwM8uioC

Wheels Yet to Drop Off for Ultra-luxe car segment

what is becoming obvious to me is that the luxury car market, especially the rarefied segment above the entry-level Mercedes C-Class/BMW 5 Series/Audi A4, seems to have been affected far less than the segment containing the desultory schlepmobiles the rest of us drive to work each day. For instance, anyone thinking that luxury automakers would throttle back their new model introductions this year are sadly overestimating the dampening effect of this not-so-great recession. It is barely two months into the year and already Audi has introduced a new A8, BMW and Jaguar have, respectively, revamped their 5 Series and XJ, and Aston Martin forayed into uncharted territory with its four-door Rapide, while Rolls-Royce expanded its lineup with the Ghost. A new BMW 760Li has been sprung upon us, Bentley souped up its Continental into a Supersports and Lexus has unveiled a new topline GX 470 SUV. Whew!

And that doesn’t even count what’s coming in the short term. Audi, in the midst of perhaps the greatest lineup revamp in luxury segment history, will have me driving its new R8 Spyder in two weeks, Infiniti’s M56 goes even further upscale and there’s an all-new and reputedly even more luxurious BMW X5 on the horizon. And that’s just before April. Some time after that, Hyundai — realizing its experiment in brand extension with the Genesis was not overly ambitious but rather not ambitious enough — will venture even further upscale with the Equus. Double whew!

While some brands such as Cadillac (and Porsche to a lesser extent) that depend on the United States for a preponderance of their sales have been hard hit, the sales of many luxury brands are doing surprisingly well. At the press presentation of its new Ghost, Rolls-Royce’s marketing mavens lamented that 2009’s sales were down from the company’s peak of 1,212 units in 2008. But, what was readily apparent to anyone who can read a pie chart was that Rolls’ 2009 sales were all but equal to 2007’s, itself a very profitable 12 months, thank you very much.

And Aston Martin’s weeping that sales, despite the addition of the phantasmagorical Rapide, might only hit 6,000 units worldwide — far short of the 8,000 sales once envisioned — sounds like so much sour grapes. Remember, back in 1982, Aston sold less than 50 cars. Yes, that was for the entire year and, yes, it was worldwide sales. If Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston’s CEO, had known a decade ago he might sell 6,000 units in 2010, he would have wet himself with glee.

Closer to home, hardly a month goes by without BMW or Mercedes-Benz Canada (sometimes both) announcing record sales. Sure, a lot of it is the result of cash-on-the-hood leasing deals that might make an ultra-conservative accountant blanch, but, then again, Mercedes Canada isn’t having any trouble selling the new SLS — and its $198,000 price tag is hardly bargain basement.

Audi Canada keeps setting benchmarks, its sales seemingly only hindered by the lack of availability of its most popular models. Even previously downtrodden Jaguar is sounding encouraged, recently announcing its first profitable quarter in more than two years, with managing director Mike O’Driscoll predicting a slow, steady return to the heady days of 300,000 Jaguar/Land Rover combined annual worldwide sales.

Of course, all that optimism could easily be derailed by another economic aftershock (such as the terrestrial ones being suffered by those poor Chileans), but it appears the fabulously well-to-do — and the auto companies servicing them — have weathered yet another financial crisis without having to resort to driving Toyotas.

National Post

-David Booth Vancouver Sun

"Mini-B" BMW planning compact under its own marque

BMW plans to launch small, high-end car: directors
(AFP) – 9 hours ago
MUNICH, Germany — The world's leading luxury car maker, BMW, said Wednesday it planned to launch its own small car that might be based on its Mini model to serve a sector that is developing rapidly.
"We expect by 2020 growth of between four to six percent" in the market for small, high-end automobiles, BMW boss Norbert Reithofer told a press conference in Munich, southern Germany.
"We want to be more present, not just with Mini but also with BMW," he said.
"On the frame of future Mini generations, we could imagine building a BMW," development director Klaus Draeger added, without giving any launch date.
German rival Audi rolled out this year its A1 model to tap into growing demand for high-end autos that consume less fuel.
But Reithofer stressed he wanted BMW to remain "a high-end manufacturer and not a mass manufacturer" that would remain "independent" as the sector looks to consolidation for survival.
The group sold 1.29 million vehicles last year, including 216,000 Minis, and builds motors for small cars in partnership with the French group Peugeot.
On the earnings side, BMW expected a "notable" increase in net profit this year after managing to end 2009 in the black despite a global sector crisis, Reithofer said.
The group forecast sales of more than 1.3 million vehicles, which would keep it ahead of Audi and Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz.
BMW stood by its 2009 net profit of 210 million euros (290 million dollars), a drop of 36.4 percent from the previous year, on sales that slipped by 4.7 percent to 50.68 billion euros.
"We have significantly reduced costs in all sectors of activity," Reithofer said in the group's home town of Munich.
In addition to its eponymous automobiles, BMW owns the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands and also sells high-end motorcycles.
On an operating basis, the automobile division suffered a net loss of 265 million euros however, compared with a profit of 690 million in 2008.
BMW's financial services unit turned in a profit of 355 million euros meanwhile, erasing the loss of 216 million from a year earlier.

Porsche 'Sneaks Up' on Auto world with new Spyder

Almost as amazing as the specs on the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept is the fact that Porsche managed to keep the car under wraps until its world debut last week at the Geneva Auto Show.

“Frankly, we were pleased that we were able to keep it quiet, and a lot went into that,” said Dave Engelman, a Porsche spokesman.

Mr. Engelman said that his boss, Bernd Harling, publicity chief for Porsche in the United States, had to sign a nondisclosure waiver before seeing the 918.

The hybrid’s privacy was also protected by its very short development time. The concept car had only been gestating since last August. According to Porsche, Wolfgang Dürheimer, vice president of research and development, and Michael Macht, president of Porsche AG and chief executive of the executive board of management, were “discussing what could be done in the wake of the very recent VW/Porsche merger to help Porsche remain Porsche. The 918 Spyder is what they came up with.”


Keeping it a secret was another matter. “It’s easier with in-house concept cars because you can tell only the few engineers who really need to know,” Mr. Engelman said. “When we have to move cars around, there’s always the chance that they’ll get spotted by people with cellphone cameras as they’re being loaded onto the boat.”

He added, “They probably finished it the day before it was first shown.”

The 918 Spyder does a lot of things well, though not all at the same time. It has four drive modes. An all-electric “E-Power” mode has 15.5 miles of range from a lithium-ion battery pack. “Race-Hybrid” mode unleashes the 500-horsepower V-8 gas engine and 218-horsepower electric motor to help the car accelerate from zero-to-62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and give it a top speed of 198 miles an hour. An “E-Boost” button allows the driver to call on maximum electric power for “racing and when passing,” Porsche said.

In normal hybrid mode, the 918 Spyder’s V-8 (sourced from the RS Spyder racecar) operates the rear wheels, and the electric motors (with 218 horsepower combined) supply power to both axles as needed. Porsche claims 78 miles per gallon for the 918 Spyder, though that’s factoring in the zero consumption electric range. Green-friendly numbers certainly won’t be seen when the car is driven aggressively.

Another impressive statistic helping Porsche meet stringent European environmental requirements is the car’s carbon dioxide emissions of just 70 grams per kilometer (the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid produces 231).

Believe it or not, the 918 Spyder is Porsche’s first concept car since the Boxster, which was initially shown in Detroit in 1993 and went into production as a 1997 model. Porsche has never built a show car it didn’t eventually put on the market, and the 918 is a possibility down the road. “We’ve said we would like to build it,” Mr. Engelman said. “We’re looking at it very seriously.”

Mr. Macht told Autocar, “There is no one inside Porsche who doesn’t want to build the 918.”

Porsche actually revealed three hybrid vehicles on March 2 in Geneva, but the 918 Spyder had the biggest “wow factor.” Mr. Engelman noted ruefully that it got far more attention than the Cayenne S Hybrid, which was also introduced at the show and actually goes on sale in the United States in the fall. The third is the 911 GT3 R Hybrid racecar, which will be in the United States in two weeks, Mr. Engelman said

VW Unveils new Touareg

Volkswagen unveiled the new Touareg, it's ever-important family hauler that will come gas, diesel and for the first time, hybrid versions.

VW promises class-leading fuel economy with this new Touareg at the Geneva Motor Show. And the hybrid version will be capable of electric-only driving for more than 25 miles. As hybrids go, this one will be fairly macho, capable of hauling trailers or boats weighing up to more than three tons.

All the engines are going to come with an eight-speed transmission, which will save even more fuel.

Benz Sez New Concept will drive itself - in a sense

The F800 includes a feature called Distronic Plus Traffic Jam Assistant. The system allows the car to maintain its place while cruising along in a lane and to follow the vehicle in front of it at speeds up to 25 miles per hour -- even through curves.

Many luxury cars are able to keep a pre-set distance in front of them without the driver having to work the brake and accelerator. Drivers still have to steer. Not here:

The system even recognizes when the car ahead of it is changing lanes and doesn't blindly follow behind. It knows when a curve is really a curve.

"The driver can just sit back and relax — with hands on the steering wheel," Mercedes says. When the car's speed starts to creep above 25 mph, it gradually dampens the steering torque and leaves the driving to the driver.

The first Distronic proximity-controlled cruise control showed up in the F100 concept in 1991 and made its production debut in the S-Class in 1998.

Should Bolt Go For A Bentley?

Having recently treated himself to a GT-R, maybe Usain Bolt ought not to read this side-by-side comparison with Bentley's latest refined beast - from Motor Trend


If you could pit one sports car and one luxury car to engage in a good old fashioned quarter-mile race, you couldn’t find a more unlikely pairing than a Nissan GT-R and a Bentley Continental Supersports.

That is, until you look at the tale of the tape. Then the stats will tell you that despite the obvious disparities, these two cars are a lot more evenly-matched than you’d think. Consider for a second that the Bentley is half a ton heavier than the GT-R. On the other hand, it also puts out about 140 more horsepower – 621 to 485 - than Godzilla, so at the end of the day, the two car’s power-to-weight ratio rounds out to about 8lb/hp.

See how looks – and stats - can be misleading?

Motor Trend went through a lot of work to put these two cars up to the challenge and the result is…well…you have to watch it to find out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qXYjBxnteA

High Five for the new 5; Jamaican launch soon

BMW's updated 5-series gets a welcoming _ and welcomed - new look, both in front (changes to the legendary "kideny grille" and the headlamp package).

Jamaican reps Stewart Motors plan an official "wilkomen to Jamaika" for the new 5. Stay tuned for detials and a review

Audi's "Green Police" Super Bowl spot makes some see red

Still reviewing those Super Bowl ads from Sunday's game? never saw any? Well this one is quite funny, even if you're an environmentalist. Lighten up a bit.

Is it offensive or humorous? Does it support or mock environmentalists? Audi's "green police" Super Bowl ad, ranked sixth best in USA TODAY's ad meter, is stirring controversy for its portrayal of the eco-movement.

In the one-minute ad, which you can watch above or by clicking here, ordinary citizens are arrested for using plastic instead of paper, throwing away batteries, not composting orange rinds, using incandescent light bulbs and setting their hot tub thermostats too high. All this happens while Robin Zander sings redone lyrics to Cheap Trick's '70s classic The Dream Police.

The "green police," however, gives a thumbs up to Audi's diesel A3 TDI, which claims to get 42 miles per gallon on the highway and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.

It's not just the Super Bowl ad, which the New York Times says puts "the "mental" in "environmental,"" that's raised questions.

SAAB GOES "DUTCH"

The fabled Swedish brand has endced a rocky American sojourn as a GM subsidiary and now goes to the Dutch sports car maker Spyker.


GM Reaches Agreement to Sell Saab to Spyker
Tuesday, 26 January 2010 13:37
DETROIT – General Motors and Spyker Cars NV today confirmed that they have reached a binding agreement on the purchase of Saab Automobile AB.

"Today’s announcement is great news for Saab employees, dealers and suppliers, great news for millions of Saab customers and fans worldwide, and great news for GM,” said John Smith, GM vice president for corporate planning and alliances.

“General Motors, Spyker Cars, and the Swedish government worked very hard and creatively for a deal that would secure a sustainable future for this unique and iconic brand, and we're all happy for the positive outcome,” Smith said.

As part of the agreement, Spyker intends to form a new company, Saab Spyker Automobiles, which will carry the Saab brand forward. The sale will be subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory, governmental and court approvals. Other terms and conditions specific to the sale will be disclosed in due time.

The Swedish government is at present reviewing the transaction and the related request for guarantees of a Saab Automobile loan that has been requested from the European Investment Bank. Assuming quick action, the transaction is expected to close in mid-February, and previously announced wind down activities at Saab will be immediately suspended, pending the close of the transaction.

“Throughout the negotiations, GM has always had the hope to find a solution for Saab that would avoid a wind down of the brand,” added Nick Reilly, president, GM Europe. “We’ve worked with many parties over the past year, including governments and investors, and I’m very pleased that we could come to such a good conclusion, one that preserves jobs in Sweden and elsewhere. GM will continue to support Saab and Spyker on their way forward.”

-Saab News (Saab Club of America)

BMW Group reports 10.1% sales increase in December

The Christmas Cheer is continuing for premium car makers, with BMW being the latest to report a healthy sales surge for December last.

Munich/Detroit. BMW Group retail continued to follow an upward trend in December with a substantial increase in sales of 10.1%. A total of 123,751 (prev. yr. 112,423) BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles were sold worldwide in the month under review.
In light of the continued global economic crisis the company was, as expected, unable to match the previous year’s high sales in its figures for the full year 2009. However, the decrease of 10.4% was smaller than expected and ultimately relatively moderate. The BMW Group sold a total of 1,286,310 (prev. yr. 1,435,876) vehicles worldwide in 2009. As a result, the company was able to expand its market share in the premium segment once again last year and maintain its position as the world’s leading supplier of premium vehicles.
Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing: “We have succeeded in remaining the world’s leading premium car company in 2009. Despite difficult economic conditions we have been steadily gaining ground since April; We are beginning the new year with a sense of optimism, even though we are still feeling the effects of the global economic crisis. We are aiming for growth in the single-digit percentage range in 2010. The large number of new BMW and MINI models will play a major part in this.” The new
BMW 5 Series, which will be launched as of March, will be one of the most important new models for the BMW Group in 2010. The model changeover will take place in the first two months of the year.
The BMW Group reported strong growth for the full year 2009 in emerging markets such as China (90,536 / +37.5%), Brazil (6,398 / +118.8%) and India (3,619 / +24.4%). Robertson: “We were able to achieve new sales records in all three markets in 2009. And we intend to make further gains in 2010.” Germany was the largest single market for BMW and MINI automobiles in 2009: A total of 258,012 (prev. yr. 284,786/-9.4%) vehicles were delivered to customers. With 33,517 deliveries in 2009, the MINI brand enjoyed its most successful year in Germany since its launch. In the US market the BMW Group reported lower sales for 2009 – as did the entire industry. For the year to the end of December, sales decreased by 20.3% (241,727 / prev. yr. 303,190).
In December the BMW brand delivered 105,049 (prev. yr. 97,256) units, or 8.0% more vehicles than in the same month last year. In 2009 as a whole, BMW sold 1,068,770 (prev. yr. 1,202,239 / -11.1%) automobiles worldwide, once again giving the brand a strong lead over its competitors in the premium segment. In 2009, gains were made by the BMW 7 Series (52,680 / +35.7%) and the BMW X6 (41,667/+56.8%) and Z4 (22,759 / +26.4%) models, among others. In its key domestic market of Germany, the BMW 7 Series (7,439 / +74.8%), as well as the BMW X5 (10,933 / -31.9%) and X6 (4.940 / +51,0%) models, were the clear leaders in their respective segments. The new BMW X1 and 5 Series GT models introduced in late October also got off to an excellent start in the markets: A total of 8,499 BMW X1 and 3,052 BMW 5 Series GT have already been delivered to customers around the world.
The MINI brand also reported strong growth of 22.2% in December, with 18,335 (prev. yr. 15,010) MINI cars sold in the month under review. For the year to the end of December a total of 216,538 vehicles were delivered to customers around the world (prev. yr. 232,425 / -6.8%).
Rolls-Royce retailed 1002 cars during 2009, including the first 150 Ghosts delivered to customers in December. Ian Robertson said: “Demand for the Ghost has been exceptional and the latest Rolls-Royce has been met with universal acclaim from customers, the media and enthusiasts alike.” Around 85 per cent of Ghost customers are new to the marque. Rolls-Royce remains the market leader in the ultimate luxury class.

Panamera Hits 10K

LEIPZIG, Germany | Skeptics had questioned the merits of adding a four-door sports sedan to Porsche's product line, but the folks at Porsche and the market, have proved them wrong.

Just three months after it went on sale in Europe and less than two after its debut in the U.S., the 10,000th Panamera rolled off the production line at Porsche's plant in Leipzig, Germany.

The 10,000th Panamera is a 500-horsepower platinum silver metallic Panamera Turbo, which is set to be delivered to a customer in Singapore.

"Sales of the Panamera have really taken off. We have already secured over 9,000 orders," said Michael Macht, chairman of the board of Porsche AG. Mr. Macht also pointed out that the Panamera has earned praise throughout the industry and has won several coveted awards, including Playboy's "Car of the Year," Edmunds Inside Line's "Editors' Most Wanted" and Bloomberg's "Car of the Year."

In breaking down what customers are ordering, Porsche says the Panamera 4S is proving particularly popular and has a model share of 44 percent, which is ahead of the Turbo (36 percent) and the Panamera S (20 percent).

The fourth Porsche model series is manufactured at the Leipzig plant, sharing a production line with the Cayenne SUV. The innovative, highly streamlined production process is seen as a model of technological and economic excellence for the automobile industry worldwide.

Mid-Life Nice: Range Rover @ 40

Sales may have been down during '09, but Range Rover found some gas in the final quarter and is now revving into its 40th year as "the" go-to SUV for places that you want to go to but can't becasue they're too rugged for other, lesser vehicles