German carmakers buoyed by boost in US sales
Monday, 9 January 2012
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (AFP): German automakers are revving up for an aggressive push to expand their customer base in the highly competitive US market and will unleash a slew of hot new products at the Detroit auto show this week.
While BMW and Mercedes-Benz dominated the luxury sector last year - overtaking struggling Lexus for the top two sales spots -, Volkswagen (VW) witnessed a double-digit growth in the mid-size segment.
"German products look very strong here right now", said David Cole, chairman emeritus chairman at the Center for Automotive Research, applauding German firms for their swift response to US market trends such as the growing demand for fuel-efficient cars.
The traditional stronghold of the German auto industry are high-end brands such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche. Battling for the US luxury car crown in 2011, BMW finally claimed first place with a narrow lead of some 2,600 vehicles over Mercedes.
The two Teutonic giants overtook Toyota's Lexus, champion of the past 11 years, which suffered from the supply chain disruption caused by Japan's devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
BMW reported its sales rose 12.6 per cent in 2011 to 247,907, while Mercedes announced a 13.3 per cent gain to a record 245,231 vehicles sold.
For VW's luxury unit Audi, 2011 marked the best year ever on the US market, with 12 straight months of record-setting sales and 117,561 vehicles leaving the showrooms.
The fallout from the tsunami had an impact, but it was not the main reason for the strong performance of German automakers, said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Edmunds.com. Instead, she cited the launch of new models and an aggressive use of incentives to woe customers.
While BMW and Mercedes-Benz dominated the luxury sector last year - overtaking struggling Lexus for the top two sales spots -, Volkswagen (VW) witnessed a double-digit growth in the mid-size segment.
"German products look very strong here right now", said David Cole, chairman emeritus chairman at the Center for Automotive Research, applauding German firms for their swift response to US market trends such as the growing demand for fuel-efficient cars.
The traditional stronghold of the German auto industry are high-end brands such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche. Battling for the US luxury car crown in 2011, BMW finally claimed first place with a narrow lead of some 2,600 vehicles over Mercedes.
The two Teutonic giants overtook Toyota's Lexus, champion of the past 11 years, which suffered from the supply chain disruption caused by Japan's devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
BMW reported its sales rose 12.6 per cent in 2011 to 247,907, while Mercedes announced a 13.3 per cent gain to a record 245,231 vehicles sold.
For VW's luxury unit Audi, 2011 marked the best year ever on the US market, with 12 straight months of record-setting sales and 117,561 vehicles leaving the showrooms.
The fallout from the tsunami had an impact, but it was not the main reason for the strong performance of German automakers, said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Edmunds.com. Instead, she cited the launch of new models and an aggressive use of incentives to woe customers.