Rolls Royce Global Model Sales : 2017-18

Regarded by many as the most prestigious marque in the car industry, sales passed the 4,000 mark in 2018, thanks to the Cullinan SUV. That is the highest in the marque's history, by a small margin, the new Phantom and Cullinan gave sales an upward thrust. With the SUV having a full year of sales in 2019 one would expect another record, although that isn't the point of course.

The Wraith is a

BMW Group Plant Production & Regional Sales : 2017-18

BMW Group plants (including MINI and Rolls Royce) produced nearly 2,550,000 vehicles in 2018, up 1%. The BMW facilities include two in China that are joint venture. There are two contract plants and four partner plants. I'm not sure of the nature of the partner plants, why they are listed differently from the other operations. They are situated in Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Russia and are

BMW Brand Global Model Sales : 2017-18

The 5 Series showing off


I've got data going back decades and in that time the 3 Series has always been the largest produced model annually...until 2018. Yes, the new 7th generation 5 Series has taken over. True, the 3 Series was at the end of its production cycle but it is still a first at any rate.

Total production was up 1.8% in 2018, compared to 4.2% a year earlier. That is the lowest

BMW/Mercedes US Production (Model) : 2017-18

Both of these companies make some vehicles in the US. So which models do they assemble? Let's find out.

BMW: Various SUV models are all that they do, totaling about 350,000 units in 2018. In comparison, 310,000 vehicles were sold in the US. That makes it a net exporter from here. For the past two years the total has dropped slightly.





USA Production - BMW


Model
2018
%

Rolls Royce Global Sales By Model : 2016

Rolls Royce is a marque that wafts along, with a strong customer base and reputation that is held by many of being the the best. Total sales were 4,011, up 6% and the second best year (the strongest year was 2014, just).

The best selling model(s) us the Wraith/Dawn combo. The Wraith is a 4 door GT and the Dawn a convertible. Although Rolls Royce say 80% of the body panels differ from the

BMW Global Sales By Model : 2016 (Chart)

15
16
Model
2016
%
+/-

2015
%




Car
1,358,367

-1%

1,377,915














1
1
3 Series
411,844
30.3%
-7%

444,338
32.2%


2
2
5 Series
331,410
24.4%
-5%

347,096
25.2%


4
3
2 Series
196,183
14.4%
25%

157,144

BMW Global Sales By Model : 2016 (Text)

It wasn't that long ago tat the world was BMW's oyster. It was creating new niches everywhere for an ever expanding range of models. It was the biggest selling premium brand and that didn't look like changing anytime soon. Mercedes decided to follow the strategy that proved so successful for BMW and suddenly there are full beam headlights in BMW's rear view mirror. Then a swift overtaking

BMW Model Global Sales : 2016

BMW sales were up 5.2% in 2016, slightly down on global premium sales growth. Arch rival Mercedes Benz is on the offensive as are other competitors such as Jaguar / Land Rover. It is a lucrative area to be operating in and it will remain so. However, you would have to think that profit margins will ultimately be affected in that sector as the battle heats up.

In 2006, SUVs accounted for 16% of

UK Car Industry: #8 & Below

Below the volume car makers come numerous car companies. I will address some of these that have some size worth noting.



Oh, I think I'll have the red one thanks


Bentley. 10,600 cars made is good volume. They are also in the super luxury class so contribute well beyond the unit figures suggest. Design work is done at Crewe and all the engines are made there too.

Production share (car) of the

BMW Brand Worldwide Production Car By Nation : 2011-14

BMW production went from 2.0% to 2.2% of global sales, 12th on the list of car makers. Premium sales are taking an increasing slice of the pie so it's a good area to be selling in. Production in Germany was about 70% in 2011 and 61% in 2014.

One thing BMW has not done is make cars at another location in Europe. There is an assembly plant that opened in Brazil late 2014 but as it isn't here I

BMW Global SUV Sales By Model : 2000-2013

In the year that BMW sold Land Rover to Ford, it released it's first SUV. BMW has since spread itself across the SUV range with new models. Now just over a quarter of BMW brand sales are from these four models. I have to say I didn't like the X6 when it came out and still don't. I wouldn't call its sales strong either, so maybe others feel the same way. All the others seem to have been worth the

BMW Global Car Sales By Model : 1997-2013

A 2009 BMW M3 


BMW car sales (excluding SUVs) is shown below in the chart. Resent success in China has really boosted sales. The exteme column to the right shows how sedan car sales have slipped as SUV models have arrived. Still, over 70% of sales are for cars as of 2013.









Yr
3 Sr
5 Sr
1 Sr
7 Sr
6 Sr
4 Sr
Z Sr
8 Sr
Cars
Tot
%


97
337.8
228.8
-

BMW Cutting Costs

BMW is quite profitable, as are premium brands generally. There are differing reports on the amount that is wished to be saved, however it seems they they do want to cut costs. If you are making solid profits, why the need to do so? I can think of a few reasons that are behind the move.

Main reason: It seems to me to be tied to the bragging rights of being the biggest premium brand by unit

BMW Group Regional Sales : 2009-13

I can't say I find German styling good looking. 


Things are shifting in car sales. Europe has slipped of late and Asia has more than filled the shortfall. Premium makes have not suffered the same but the trends are there to see, even over the few years shown here. The marques included here are BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce. 761.9 equals 761,900.

Since 2009, BMW Group sales in Europe have

Rolls Royce Worldwide Sales By Model: 2013

The Phantom saloon model, the Series II came out in 2012.


The designers who work at Rolls Royce must surely enjoy the relative freedom of working on cars with emphasis on quality rather than cost. Despite the upmarket price they also sell well, showing that there is strong demand for premium products in whatever field they exist.



Phantom Drophead Coupé. Nice summer's evening, top down....

BMW Brand Worldwide Sales By Model: 2013

3-Series the brand's big hitter


BMW had a good 2013, with a 7.5% increase. The chart below shows cars with green shading and SUVs with yellow. The only models to do poorly were the ill-conceived X6 and aging Z4, both suffering a double digit fall. The 3/4 Series did the best and is the mainstay of the marque. If you take SUVs away, the '3' represents 43.2% of BMW brand car sales.

The i3 is

BMW & PR Spin

Putting a positive spin on a negative is the way of business today. BMW is very good at it. Take the second quarter of 2012 for example. Revenue was up 7% on increased sales, but net profit was down 28%. When I see those figures a bell goes off in my head saying 'warning'! How can sales and therefore revenue be climbing, while profits tumble?

Here is where the spin comes in. BMW said increased

BMW M5 vs Jaguar XFR

Two ultimate driving machines went head to head in an Auto Express test. How did they fare? The M5 first:


Plus: Agile, direct steering, excellent body control, limpet-like grip, gearbox smooth and relaxing shifts (at speed).

Minus: A little detached and clinical, gearbox slightly jerky around town, quite a bit more expensive.

Plus: Blisteringly quick, sleek style, engaging driving dynamics,

Range Rover Evoque vs BMW X1

NZ car magazine NZ Autocar did a comparison between the above cars in its Jan 12 issue. Seeing as the X1 for many would be the benchmark for the best small SUV, and the Evoque is the new kid on the block, a worthwhile comparison.

First up, it said the Evoque was the car with all the style. Not hard when compared with Germanic style, which let's face it doesn't really exist. There wasn't much

BMW's Shame

Once upon a time BMW decided it needed to expand its interests, like many other car companies were doing. It saw MG Rover as that timely expansion. MGR was a small company with a successful tie-up with Honda. The major shareholder was BAe and Honda had a minor share. MGR shared much with Honda, crucially platforms. Its success depended on the costs saved. BMW bought BAe's share of MGR and looked