BMW takes luxury sales lead from Audi this February

BMW has regained its global lead for luxury car sales from Audi after its volume for the core BMW brand rose 7% to 114,908 last month as increased demand in China, the UK and Russia offset weakness in Germany and other parts of Europe. Audi’s vehicle sales for February were up 3.2% to 110,000 while Mercedes-Benz brand fell 5.8% to 90,083 vehicles. BMW Group global sales including Mini and Rolls-Royce grew 4.7% in February to 133,630, BMW said. Strong demand for the X1 and 3-series models offset lower volume at Mini. In the first two months, group sales rose 7.1% to 256,929.
BMW factories are running at full capacity to keep up with customer demand. Sales of the X1 sport-utility vehicle through February gained 40%, while the 3 series climbed 26%. Audi’s gains were led by demand for the A1 small car and Q3 compact SUV. Mercedes is looking for a sales boost this year once it adds the CLA four-door coupe to its compact car line-up in April and brings out a revamped version of its upscale E Class at the same time. A new generation of Mercedes’s flagship S-class sedan is scheduled to reach showrooms in the second half.