[Mark]

Dr. Panke, chairman of BMW AG says that

"With 6,444 vehicles delivered by the end of the quarter, the new 3 Series Sedan got off to an excellent start. The launch even exceeded our expectations. The new 3 Series will contribute significantly to the profitable growth of the BMW Group in the coming years."

go E90 !!

[Nathan]

Does this number include the demo cars on the lots around the world, at car shows and at driving events like the ones in FL, or just orders that are fulfilled to date?

If the latter, then that's awesome. BMW was low in their auto sales numbers in Q1 2005, but higher than expected in their SUV sales. That is typical though in terms of the seasons.

[bozo5521]

Hmm..I wonder..if their "delivery" expectation was exceeded, I would imagine that could only mean that more individual orders were made, since dealers have a specific allocation of vehicles...

You can bet someone in their marketing dept just got a huge a$$ raise though!! They did a damn good job at it..BMW across america, the "explore" section..the year long build-up, the delays...it was all planned!!

[YYdoodle]

Nice! Do most of you agree that the E90 will outsell the E46?

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by Terps

Nice! Do most of you agree that the E90 will outsell the E46?

I can't see why not.

[marcus330i]

Originally Posted by RichReg

I can't see why not.

Only if the California real estate market collapses.

[YYdoodle]

"U.S. orders for BMW 3-Series beat expectations-CFO"

MUNICH, May 9 (Reuters) - U.S. orders for German luxury carmaker BMW's new 3-Series car have got off to a better-than-expected start, Chief Financial Officer Stefan Krause told Reuters on Monday.

"The pre-launch orders are very, very good, far above expectations," he said on the sidelines of an industry conference. He did not give any concrete numbers.

The new 3-Series car -- its top-selling model which has also beaten expectations in Europe since its launch in early March -- hits the U.S. market on May 6.

Krause reiterated BMW's target of boosting 2005 unit sales by 6 to 9 percent.

He said BMW remained positive about the U.S. market despite the sluggish sales from domestic heavyweights General Motors and Ford.

"There is still enormous potential in the United States," he said, noting that BMW was not affected by the "American problems" weighing on GM and Ford such as healthcare and pension liabilities and Standard & Poor's downgrades of their debt to junk status.

He also suggested the premium segment of the overall U.S. car market was relatively underdeveloped and thus had upside potential.

The U.S. market is BMW's biggest, accounting for around a quarter of car sales. BMW is more than 50 percent hedged against its dollar exposure this year.

Krause said there was no target on how much to boost this level, adding it was continually making tactical hedging transactions but eschewing long-term strategic hedges given the unfavourable euro-dollar exchange rate at present.

[YYdoodle]

"BMW says group car sales rise 9.7 pct in April"

FRANKFURT, May 9 (Reuters) - BMW group car sales rose 9.7 percent in April to 111,285 units, the world's largest luxury carmaker said on Monday, beating its own preliminary forecast given last week.

Sales of its core BMW brand rose 9.1 percent to 92,984 units last month, while Mini sales jumped an even higher 13.4 percent to 18,245 cars. BMW also delivered 56 Rolls-Royce Phantoms in April, down 16.4 percent from a year ago.

For the first four months, group car sales increased 8.6 percent to 403,521 units, led by dynamic growth in demand for hot new BMW models like the X3 mid-size offroader and the 1-Series hatchback.

Last week, Chief Executive Helmut Panke predicted a rise of 7 percent in April car sales.

Turbocharged by a raft of hot new models, BMW has raced from one record to another, leaving arch-rival Mercedes Car Group in its dust.

The recent launch of its revamped 3-Series saloon means the BMW brand may finally overtake Mercedes-Benz as the world's best-selling luxury marque this year.

Sales of its key mid-sized model rose 16.9 percent in April to 68,931 units.

"Even now -- in the initial phase of the market launch of the new BMW 3-Series saloon -- it is becoming clear that this car is being very well received by the market," BMW sales and marketing chief Michael Ganal said in a statement, vowing to consolidate further BMW's leading position in the market.

By comparison, sales at DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes Car Group rose 2 percent in April to 104,900 units, helped by the first year-on-year rise in deliveries of its flagship Mercedes-Benz brand this year.

The German-American carmaker said on Friday that sales of Mercedes-Benz cars increased 1 percent to 92,400 vehicles, while deliveries of Smart compacts gained 9.7 percent to 12,500 cars.

The division's sales fell a cumulative 2.7 percent in the first four months to 366,500 vehicles.

[kchika]

Good to hear.