Mercedes-Benz, BMW chart record sales for Q1 2012
The German big two certainly got 2012 to a brilliant start, as both concluded the year’s first quarter with record breaking sales. Last week, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia announced a 0.5% year-on-year increase from Q1 2011 to record total sales of 1,724 vehicles from both its passenger and commercial vehicle divisions.
Over at arch-rivals BMW, sales are just as robust, with a total of 1,516 vehicles delivered, an impressive 16% year-on-year increase from 1,308 sold in 2011. The figures break down to 1,362 BMW passenger cars, 80 MINI passenger cars, and 74 BMW Motorrad motorcycles.
This situation represents a rare occasion which sees BMW outselling Mercedes-Benz in the Malaysian passenger car market, albeit marginally. Out of 1,724 units sold by the in the first three months of 2012, passenger cars such as the C-Class, E-Class, and others accounted for 1,302 units. The C-Class, which was facelifted last year, contributed 600 sales.
Mr. Geoffrey Briscoe, Managing Director of BMW Group Malaysia points to the success of its diesel models, saying that, “Our bold strategy of introducing Advanced Diesel models when no one else was willing to do so has also paid off and today BMW Advanced Diesel variants comprise around 18% to 20% of our total sales volume. Moving forward we expect to further build on our success with the imminent introduction of our BMW ActiveHybrid variants this year, and electric vehicles in the near future.”
More recently, BMW has introduced the all-new F30 3 Series in Malaysia and had the F10 5 Series updated with a new range of 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder powerplants that boast comparable outputs to older six-cylinder engines of higher capacity, but with improved consumption and emission figures.
He further added that, “The current level of incentives for vehicles using alternate fuel and engine technology needs to be expanded to also encourage the greater adoption of diesel fuel in Malaysia, as was done with the introduction of tax and duty waivers on hybrid and electric vehicles. Furthermore, the current scope of government incentives for hybrid vehicles also needs to be expanded to encompass vehicles with engine capacities of two litres and higher as it is when we reach those engine ranges with which impactful benefits of utilizing the hybrid platforms truly emerge.”
In light of these stellar figures from the big two luxury brands, it would seem that news of an economic slowdown are greatly exaggerated.
Further Details:
– BMW prices and specifications in Malaysia
– Mercedes-Benz prices and specifications in Malaysia
