It was only last year that BMW India secured the precious title of the luxury car sales leader, but looks like they had to hand over the baton to Audi and Mercedes-Benz this year. The Bavarian luxury car manufacturer’s sales dropped enough, by 22% to be precise, within the last year that it will now have to make peace with being ‘Number 3’.
BMW managed to sell 7,327 vehicles in 2013, indicating a massive gap in the sales figures as compared to that of Audi and Mercedes-Benz. The other 2 German luxury car makers secured a growth of 11% and 32% in sales, respectively, in a market that grew by only 6%. While Mercedes-Benz sold 9,003 units, market leader Audi sold 10,002 leading Audi to claim to have become the first-ever luxury car manufacturer in India to sell more than 10,000 units in just one year.
Though the general car market in India reeled from the effects of a slowing economy in 2013, it seemed like a good year for luxury car makers. Despite the economy, India's luxury car market also witnessed the emergence of the British marquee brand Jaguar & Land Rover (JLR), which sold 2,913 sedans and SUVs last year, a growth of 22% from 2012.
Some analysts believe that BMW’s performance in 2013 can be attributed to the ageing X1 and a lack of interest in its other SUVs, like X3 and the X5. Though Philipp Von Sahr, president of BMW Group India, did not comment on the company’s 2013 sales figures, he said, “We want to be the leading luxury car company with delighted customers, strong partners and most important, sustainable leadership.”
