[FDMeloan]

This July BMW Group vehicle sales totaled 28,364 units which was a 20.1% increase over the 23,611 units sold last July. The YTD sales total of 192,702 units for the first 7 months of 2007 was up 6.5% from the 180,857 vehicles sold during the same period of 2006. The July sales result is based primarily on sales increases for the 3, 5, and X3 Series.

Sales of the X Series increased 14.9% this month and car sales were also up 22.8% when compared to last July.

Sales of the BMW brand were up 21.0% this month when measured against last July.

Mercedes Benz sales of 18,586 units in July represents a 13.9% decrease when compared to the total of 21,591 sold last July. YTD 2007 sales for MB are up a mere 0.2% over the same 7 months of 2006. MB trucks are up 12.4% YTD when compared to the first 7 months of last year. This improvement in MB truck sales is due to sales of the GL Class which is up 87.7% during 2007.

Lexus sales totaled 27,141 units this July, up only 0.7% over the 26,959 units sold last July. YTD sales for the 7 months of 2007 are also up 5.4% with a total of 187,343 units sold.

Please note that I report only United States sales data.

To view all the BMW, Land Rover, Lexus & Mercedes-Benz sales reports visit my website at:

http://home.att.net/~fdmeloan/

[Revlis]

It's a real shame to see BMW sales struggling like this, must be the horrific economy and impending collapse I keep hearing about.

[stefman]

Originally Posted by Revlis

It's a real shame to see BMW sales struggling like this, must be the horrific economy and impending collapse I keep hearing about.

You should change that to 50% more free sarcasm.

Nice to see BMW is healthy.

[Kuma]

BMW sales will eventually grow stagnant because BMW prices are up. 50k for a 335? upper 30's for a 328i? Even more if its equipped well. M5 is 100k+ the M3 i bet will be no less than 78-85k. All the prices above seem relatively ridiculous, yes i love my BMW but there is no way in hell i would fork out 50k for a 3 series, to each their own i guess but i think that pricing is BMW's worst enemy right now.

BMW seems to be on a upward trend as far as pricing goes and in my opinion is slowly pricing themselves out of the market.

[rrandyy]

Originally Posted by Kuma

there is no way in hell i would fork out 50k for a 3 series

Which is why BMW is introducing the 1-series... You'd be surprised how much time, money and effort large companies put into understanding consumer habits and spending limits.

[jimbethesda]

and I remember when a hamburger was a nickel! Give me a break!

The MSRP of my 2001 330Ci was $39,500. The MSRP of the e90 335i Sedan I just bought was $48,000.

If you plug in $39,500 into the inflation calculator below, you get $46,500 in today's dollars.

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

So, for $1,500 more I got 75HP, Navigation, iPod adapter, comfort access, and bluetooth.

And apples to apples, if I left off Nav, 6FL, and CA, my 2007 would be CHEAPER and still give me 75 more HP!!!!!!!!

[scottp999]

Originally Posted by jimbethesda

and I remember when a hamburger was a nickel! Give me a break!

The MSRP of my 2001 330Ci was $39,500. The MSRP of the e90 335i Sedan I just bought was $48,000.

If you plug in $39,500 into the inflation calculator below, you get $46,500 in today's dollars.

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

So, for $1,500 more I got 75HP, Navigation, iPod adapter, comfort access, and bluetooth.

And apples to apples, if I left off Nav, 6FL, and CA, my 2007 would be CHEAPER and still give me 75 more HP!!!!!!!!

Great post. I bought a 2000 E46 Coupe - 323CI that had 170hp for about 35k out the door. The 335 cost me about 49k out the door 7 years later and adjusted for the decline in the dollar (inflation engine of the congress, federal reserve, and commercial banking system) it's about the same price with many more standard features and almost twice the horsepower.

Convert what other people are paying in Euro's or GBP to US dollars and you will see BMW is cutting us a break to get sales in the US.

[dawgdog]

Originally Posted by jimbethesda

and I remember when a hamburger was a nickel! Give me a break!

The MSRP of my 2001 330Ci was $39,500. The MSRP of the e90 335i Sedan I just bought was $48,000.

If you plug in $39,500 into the inflation calculator below, you get $46,500 in today's dollars.

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

So, for $1,500 more I got 75HP, Navigation, iPod adapter, comfort access, and bluetooth.

And apples to apples, if I left off Nav, 6FL, and CA, my 2007 would be CHEAPER and still give me 75 more HP!!!!!!!!

Good point! My 335 is so much better than my 01 530.

[Sundance62]

a good thread, with valid points. Not only must inflation be factored in, but 'relative pricing' too - BMW's strategy is to command a slight price premium over the brands/models they believe are most directly competitive, and I think in general they're doing that.

For BMW (and it's dealer network), it is still fairly easy to argue/justify a ~$3-4k surcharge over a Lexus, Audi, & their ilk, citing resale value among other strengths of the brand.

The one exception where I think they've overshot their price mark is on the X-3, where the quality of their offering doesn't justify the price uplift relative to the strong competition in the segment.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Kuma

M3 i bet will be no less than 78-85k.

Reward for most unreasonable statement of the day.

[LH1]

Originally Posted by jimbethesda

The MSRP of my 2001 330Ci was $39,500. The MSRP of the e90 335i Sedan I just bought was $48,000.

You mean $38,900 for MSRP right?

[aspiring335]

Originally Posted by Kuma

i think that pricing is BMW's worst enemy right now.

BMW seems to be on a upward trend as far as pricing goes and in my opinion is slowly pricing themselves out of the market.

How can pricing be BMW's worst enemy right now, and how can they be pricing themselves out of the market, if their sales are up so much more than any other mass market luxury auto brand?

As an investor I never want to see a company losing focus, and in BMW's case that focus should be on buyers who will pay a premium and support their profit per vehicle numbers, which are some of the best in the industry.

[jimbethesda]

Originally Posted by LH1

You mean $38,900 for MSRP right?

No, I meant what I said. The MSRP on my new car was $48,000 (actually $47,995). You might be referring to the base price MSRP without even the destination charge. But my 330Ci also had the sport package, premium package, and Xenon headlights as options.

[John 070]

I think BMW is in a good position, for now. The brand name is especially strong, like the Philadelphia Eagles or NY Yankees. The key word is marketable. But BMW also has a flip-side like the Eagles and Yankees, that it's unlikely that they will win a championship. Don't get me wrong, I love the 335 coupe. But it will never be a Cayman S, nor would the E92 M3.

There's a point where it comes down to dollars and cents, and that's where BMW is winning. How many other cars do you know in which despite fuel pump worries, buyers would still wait 4 mos. to take delivery?

My guess is as long as people are willing to wait for BMWs, there's no need to improve reliability or push the envelope on the performance. It is what it is, a damn good desirable car, with its set of known limitations.

[omerfar23]

last yr was the last model year for 3 series BMW biggest seller. So they had to improve so i don''t think its a big deal.

[flush01]

benz is going downhill ...