BMW sales in North America continued to expand during the third quarter, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year, with 4.4% year-over-year growth from 78,634 to 82,064 deliveries. BMW brand sales were up 8.7% from 69,570 to 75,619, but the Mini brand come in 28.9% lower with sales decreasing from 9,064 to 6,445. Both brands remain positive year-to-date, with BMW up 35.4% thanks to 243,613 deliveries, and Mini posting growth of 12.7% from sales of 22,070 vehicles.
The ongoing semiconductor chip shortage continues to put a damper on automative sales the world over. The BMW brand is far from alone in terms of being subject to material shortages and price increases, and during the summer, it was reported that a lack of computer chips prevented 10,000 BMWs from being completed on schedule.
“It has been a challenging year, but our dealers have done an incredible job managing through it, and driving success for our business,” said Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “We anticipate strong consumer demand through the remainder of the year and are managing inventory levels closely to continue our positive sales momentum.”
Two of the three most popular BMW models sold in the U.S. are manufactured domestically at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg—the automaker’s largest factory—in South Carolina. The models are the X3 and X5 SAVs, which comes as no surprise given their chart-topping success since they were unveiled in their current generations, the G01 and G05. During the third quarter, X3 sales grew 8.5% from 16,326 to 17,720, making it the most popular current BMW model. The X3 was followed by the time-tested 3 Series, of which 13,591 were delivered, a 30.8% increase over the 10,394 sold a year ago. The G20 3 Series is available in multiple compelling models in the U.S., including the breathtakingly fast M340i, the efficient and balanced 330i, and the super-efficient 330e. The X5 came in third, with sales dipping 2.3% from 12,830 to 12,536.
Other models of note include the 4 Series, which is now on its second generation. Sales of the 4 Series increased 125.1% through the third quarter, thanks to unit deliveries of 3,772 over 1,676 a year ago. Deliveries of the X4 were up double digits, from 1,620 to 2,520 year-over-year, growth of 55.6%.
Every Mini model currently on sale lost ground during the third quarter, with the margins ranging from decreases of 18.5% for there Countryman to 39.1% for the four-door Cooper. Third quarter Mini CPO sales were flat at 2,691, which translates to a decrease of 0.3%. The brand’s CPO sales remain up 20.3% for the year, thanks to 8,802 deliveries.
BMW CPO sales dropped 8.7% during the third quarter, to 26,048, but remain positive by 4.6% year-to-date with 86,563 units sold.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]
