Mercedes sales slip back in Europe as BMW and Audi increase luxury car sales

Mercedes-Benz has failed to keep pace with BMW and Audi as the German car maker dropped down to third place in European luxury car deliveries in October.

Mercedes sales in Europe fell 2.5% to 50,855 units last month, while Audi’s gained 2.2% to 52,181 and BMW’s rose 6.2% to 51,863, according to ACEA, the European automakers association.

Mercedes sold 489,718 vehicles in the 10 months through to October, fewer than the 503,771 sold by BMW while Audi was the region’s largest high-end carmaker with 524,549 deliveries.

BMW, the biggest manufacturer of luxury vehicles worldwide, is profiting from a revamped 5-series saloon and the new X1 compact SUV and Audi is attracting buyers with the new A1 subcompact. Volumes for Mercedes have slipped as its A and B class compacts near the end of their life cycles.

All three companies still gained market share in Europe however, where demand is waning as governments end or reduce scrappage subsidies.

European new car registrations fell 16% to 1.06 million units last month which is the 7th consecutive monthly drop, with year to date sales declining 5%, according to ACEA figures.

The region’s 5 biggest car markets of Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the UK have all contracted by more than 18% in October, with sales in Spain slumping a massive 38%, the steepest drop. Fiat, Ford and Toyota posted the sharpest declines among manufacturers.

Sales by Fiat tumbled 33% to 73,774 units. Ford’s European registrations dropped 29% to 77,093, while Toyota’s fell 28% to 46,500 units. VW on the whole recorded a drop of 11% to 239,526 units, with the decline held back by Audi’s growth.

Source: Automotive News