MUNICH/STUTTGART/WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, and now BMW: German automotive groups have started the new year with weak sales figures, as deliveries declined across the board. Following reports from other manufacturers, BMW has now also posted a contraction for the first quarter.
The downturn was primarily attributed to weak performance in China and, in some cases, the United States, while Europe actually saw growth. BMW fared better than its competitors from Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, and Ingolstadt: the Munich-based group delivered 565,748 vehicles worldwide - including its Mini and Rolls-Royce subsidiaries - representing a 3.5 percent year-on-year decline.
The previous day, the VW Group and its Audi subsidiary had released sales figures for the first three months of the year, following reports from Mercedes and Porsche last week. Volkswagen recorded a group-wide decline of 4 percent, with deliveries falling to 2.05 million vehicles across all brands. Mercedes-Benz sold 499,700 cars and vans in the first quarter, a 6 percent decrease compared to the prior-year period.
While the figures are not directly comparable due to slightly different accounting methodologies, they nevertheless highlight a clear trend.
BMW
The primary driver of BMW's decline was a significant 10 percent drop in China to 144,000 vehicles. The U.S. market retreated by 4.3 percent to just over 90,000 units. Performance was considerably stronger in Germany, where sales grew by 10.7 percent to 68,000 cars. Europe as a whole was up 3 percent, with just over 236,000 vehicles delivered.
The core BMW brand underperformed slightly, with a 4.6 percent decline to 496,050 cars. In contrast, the Mini subsidiary saw growth of 5.9 percent, reaching 68,427 vehicles.
After frequently posting exceptionally strong electric vehicle (EV) figures in recent years, BMW saw its EV sales slump by 20 percent to 87,500 units. This could be attributed - among other factors - to the rollout of the first vehicles from the so-called "Neue Klasse".
While very few of these vehicles have been delivered to date, they have accounted for a significant portion of new EV orders for about six months. Sales Board Member Jochen Goller noted "well over 50,000 incoming orders since the start of sales in Europe." This exceeds the Munich-based company's own expectations and offers a glimmer of hope for future performance.
VW Group
Despite significant sales declines, the VW Group managed to keep its global market share largely stable, according to statements from Wolfsburg. "The global automotive market contracted overall through the end of March," said Audi Sales Board Member Marco Schubert, who also oversees the department for the entire group. "Nevertheless, the Volkswagen Group maintained a largely stable global market share compared to the same period last year."
In China, where Europe's largest automaker is struggling with a shrinking market and local competition, 548,700 vehicles were delivered during the quarter, down nearly 15 percent year-on-year. In North America, deliveries plummeted by more than 13 percent to 205,500 vehicles. The decline in the U.S., where European automakers are being squeezed by President Donald Trump's tariffs, reached 20.5 percent.
Conversely, VW saw growth in Germany and across Europe. In Western Europe, nearly 850,000 cars were delivered, up 4.2 percent from a year ago. In Germany, the increase was 4.8 percent. However, these gains were insufficient to offset the losses in China and North America.
The core VW brand performed worse than the group as a whole due to its higher exposure to the Chinese market, falling 7.6 percent to 1.05 million deliveries. At the Audi subsidiary, global deliveries fell by 6.1 percent to 360,000 vehicles. Porsche was hit hardest, with deliveries of its sports cars and SUVs shrinking by 14.7 percent to just under 61,000 units.
Mercedes-Benz
Business in China also weighed heavily on Mercedes' figures. The brand's passenger car sales in the country dropped by 27 percent to 111,600 vehicles. This weighed on the Stuttgart-based company's global statistics: passenger car sales (excluding vans) fell by 6 percent to 419,400 vehicles. Excluding China, passenger car sales would have actually risen by 5 percent, supported by significant growth in parts of Europe and the U.S.
Unlike its German rivals, the brand with the three-pointed star managed to grow in the U.S., with sales up 20 percent to 81,100 vehicles. Europe saw a 7 percent increase to 158,400 vehicles, while in Germany, the brand grew by 9 percent to 49,300 cars. However, these gains were not enough to compensate for the downturn in China./fjo/ruc/DP/men
