At the end of the year, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are again on the up - the three luxury-class automakers report increasing sales. Mercedes-Benz has sold 2.1 million cars in the first eleven months of the year, an increase of 1.4 percent, as Daimler announced. BMW sold just under two million vehicles, but increased faster with a plus of 2.4 percent. Audi sold nearly 1.7 million vehicles between January and November, a slight increase of 0.7 percent.
SUV models are selling well
The carmakers also benefited in November from increased sales in China and the US. All three sell SUV models well. The strongest growth compared to the same month of the previous year was recorded by Audi with a worldwide sales increase of 23 percent to a good 163,350 cars. Mercedes-Benz sold 209,058 cars, a good five percent more than a year earlier. At BMW, 194,690 vehicles increased 2.9 percent compared to November 2018.
BMW is weakening in the European home market, however, while both Mercedes-Benz and Audi reported an increase in sales.
Austerity programs despite rising sales
However, the industry is still a long way from golden times when the three upper-class manufacturers have initiated austerity programs. Several factors contributed to the difficulties of the past and this year: The diesel affair and the associated introduction of the new WLTP emission standard. Added to this is the trade conflict between the US and China and the high costs of gradually switching from gasoline and diesel engines to electric motors.
In addition, it runs at Daimler and BMW not good for the respective small car brands: At Daimler broke the smart sales in November by 14.4 percent, BMW sold almost seven percent less minis.
