[Senneca01]

The BMW group just had their best sales month ever in history, but 330i sales were down about 52% compared to last may and 37% for the year. They only sold 1,128 330i's this month. The G35 had 3,298 cars sold and the TL/TL-S had 5,825 in sales, up this month but down 10% for the entire year. BMW overall is doing remarkably well, even surpassing Mercedes-Benz, but is the G35 gaining that much ground on the 330i?

 

[kyokoris]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Senneca01)

i'd say the new caddy, GTI 337, the new G35 all took some ground of that catagory

 

[A4Jetta]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Senneca01)

A4 3.0 and G35 have huge effect on 330i's sales, despite most A4 sales goes to 1.8T.
Keep in mind BMW does very well these months thanks to Mini Cooper, which accounts as a BMW instead of a seperate brand.

 

[azenis]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (A4Jetta)

May I ask where do you find these numbers? Just curious......

 

[robx007]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Senneca01)

more people are buying M3's

hey if you got the $ for a 330 might as well cough up a little more for the beast

 

[BananaCo]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (robx007)

go infiniti!!!

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
i've always wanted somebody to top BMW and end their snobbishness. Maybe this is it!!

 

[grohan]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Senneca01)

that is just one part of the story. the # of 3 series sold last month 1s 10989 vs 10746 in may 2001, a 2% increase. while 330 is down, 330x, 325x, convertibles and m3 are up. also it looks like the main competitor is not[ for now] g35 but MBZ c class, with sales 47% up.
for the ones who 'cant stand bmws' : seven years after debut, they are selling every 5 series than can make. for the first 5 mo, sales are up 22.1%....

 

[MBrown]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (grohan)

quote:[HR][/HR]
{snip}
for the ones who 'cant stand bmws' : seven years after debut, they are selling every 5 series than can make. for the first 5 mo, sales are up 22.1%....

[HR][/HR]​

And you still have to wait 6 months to get an M5. My wait ends on Thursday.

 

[maskedSONY]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (MBrown)

after the 3-series was introduced for the 1999 model year, BMW reported a 67% increase in profits. thats sick.

 

[Lackey]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (kyokoris)

quote:[HR][/HR]i'd say the ... GTI 337... took some ground of that catagory[HR][/HR]​

Um, yeah.

Don't forget the Dodge Neon, Honda Odyssey and Ford Econoline, they stole 330i sales too.

 

[vertigo]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Lackey)

Subsidized leases on the is300 might be making a dent also.
Look, the 330i is about $7k more than similar cars, and the economy isn't
in great shape. BMW needs to realign their pricing with the market or
otherwise add content. Why dump $40k on a reasonably equippped 330i when
you can get the G35 loaded for $33k, or $35k w/Nav? Or a loaded is300 for $33k?
Or a well equipped A4 3.0 for $35k?
I think the days of BMW's sugar-pipe-dream of offering the split 325/330 line
are drawing to a close. The 325 is competatively priced, but the competition
blows it away. The 330 is marginally better than the competition--if at all--and
a wopping $5k to $7k more (that's a solid 15% or so). The market is reflecting
this shift. For the same reason that they can't sell a 318i at the 325i price point,
they need to either conslidate the 325/330, or otherwise offer a care more
like the 330 at the 325's price, and something with considerably more go in the
330's place.

 

[FowVay]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (vertigo)

This months Road and Track magazine compared 11 cars in the sport sedan category and the BMW came in second to the Infiniti G35. However, reading the comments of the drivers leads me to believe that if money were not factored in then the BMW would have held 1st place. It scored first in the performance category and the subjective ratings category but lost points in the price category. The BMW did cost less than some other much less competitive brands though. The Jaguar X-type, Lincoln LS, Mercedes-Benz C320, and the Saab Aero were all priced higher than the BMW yet they all scored in the middle of the pack or worse.
I agree that the BMW's are pricey but they do make a very nice automobile with a lot to be appreciated.
I have lived with my E46 for 3 years now ('99 model) and aside from having horrible dealers in the metro Atlanta area and two recalls the car has been nearly perfect.

 

[PhilHVW]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (FowVay)

Although there was a decline, let's get the percentages correct. For the month of May, it was a decline of 27%, not 52%. Sales of the 330xi are now reported separate from the 330i, whereas last year they were combined and shown as 330i sales.
So, there were 1700 330i/xi sales in May 2002 compared to 2,340 in May 2001. Year to date sales of the 330i/xi are 7235 compared to 8,180 a year ago, a decline of 12%.
If you include Ci and Cic sales, year to date sales of the 330 line are down 6%.
Here's the complete listing for 3-series sales (sorry if it's crooked):

quote:[HR][/HR]MODEL MAY 02 YTD 02 MAY 01 YTD 01
323i (E46) 0 0 0 102
325i (E46) 3,751 16,218 4,195 17,424
325Ci (E46) 791 3,801 911 4,051
325Ci convertible (E46) 923 4,366 700 3,743
325i sport wagon (E46) 98 440 329 1,625
325xi 1,047 4,477 0 0
325xi sport wagon 169 851 0 0
330i 1,128 5,127 2,340 8,180
330Ci 706 3,300 791 3,597
330Ci convertible 972 3,848 856 3,580
330xi 572 2,108 0 0
M3 (E46) 512 2,448 404 1,347
M3 Convertible (E46) 320 1,704 220 417
TOTALS 10,989 48,654 10,746 44,066[HR][/HR]​

 

[Senneca01]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (azenis)

quote:[HR][/HR]May I ask where do you find these numbers? Just curious......[HR][/HR]​

You can get all the info here for sales figures:
http://biz.yahoo.com/n/y/y0003.html
Interestingly, Lexus now has the best selling luxury car and luxury SUV in the US. The ES300 is now outselling the Acura TL/TL-S, which used to be number 1. I am not sure which cars are defined as luxury though...

 

[A4Jetta]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (vertigo)

The best value 3-Series remains 325i. Although 320i has straight 6, which is better than 318i's 4, its still a pretty lame car to drive. If you get a loaded 320i with Premium and sports packages, its overpriced. That price can get you into a 325i. 330i is way overpriced when it compares to competitors. G35 drives as well, VQ35DE blows straight 6 away. Compare price, features and dynamics, 330i is NOT that MUCH better to drive than its rivals!!
BTW, BMW Canada is offering a Dynamic Wheels package to get rid of the leftover 320i. For the price of a 320i, I would rather buy a Mini Cooper S.


[Modified by A4Jetta, 11:00 AM 6-4-2002]

 

[ROCK AND ROLL CHEVY]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Senneca01)

Could it be that people are getting smarter and they now know BMW is over rated and over priced!

 

[lip]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (Senneca01)

Economy-
In my hunble opinion:
People are becoming far more cautious. Not making the big purchase.
The next 1-2 years will be very interesting. So many cars were leased during the good times. Now there are a lot of 2, 3, and 4-year leases coming to an end. I think many folks will simply pay off the residual, or give the car back. Though they may not be leasing or buying a new model, something they would have done 2-years ago.
The high-end brands have depended on leasing for some time now. However, now with the market like it is, you may see brands like VW, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda begin to regain that market share.
For example while VW anticipates increased sales over the next couple of years, Audi expects to lose market share.

 

[A4Jetta]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (ROCK AND ROLL CHEVY)

quote:[HR][/HR]Could it be that people are getting smarter and they now know BMW is over rated and over priced![HR][/HR]​

Hopefully there are. People are smarter, they know there are alternatives than offer same or better performance at lower price.


[Modified by A4Jetta, 11:21 AM 6-4-2002]

 

[TRYNTRUEA2]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (A4Jetta)

maybe some people dont like the restye it recently recieved

 

[SailexGti.hk]

Re: 330i sales down 52%, what's the deal? (A4Jetta)

quote:[HR][/HR]Could it be that people are getting smarter and they now know BMW is over rated and over priced!
Hopefully there are. People are smarter, they know there are alternatives than offer same or better performance at lower price.

[Modified by A4Jetta, 11:21 AM 6-4-2002][HR][/HR]​

if price is not a concern, i would definitely go for the BMW330Ci, if not 330i.
but even if price is a concern i wouldn't go for the G35.... i would rather get an Audi 1.8TQ or 3.0v6 quattro.