VW and BMW sell more cars in the first quarter

Sales figures for German carmakers in the first quarter were not the same. While Mercedes-Benz sold fewer cars, Volkswagen Group and BMW recorded increases.

Volkswagen Group and BMW delivered fewer cars in the first three months of 2024 than last year. In the first quarter, VW sold 2.1 million vehicles, up three percent, the company announced today. BMW also withdrew nearly 595,000 vehicles, 1.1 percent more than a year ago. Things went well for Mercedes-Benz, however: the automaker recorded a six percent decline.

However, Volkswagen is offering a few cars in March

The company said that the drivers of growth at VW were primarily China, South and North America. In Western Europe and in the home market of Germany, however, sales fell by one percent each. Cars with combustion engines increased by four percent to 1.97 million units in the first three months. They paid more than a three percent drop in electric models for 136,400 cars.

The supply of electric vehicles in Europe fell by 24 percent and the strong growth in China could not cope with this. However, orders coming into Western Europe continued well from January to March. More than twice as many electronics-only models were ordered as in the same period last year, so the order load in this segment is currently around 160,000 vehicles. Hildegard Wortmann, a member of the Extended Sales Group Management, was confident “that we will grow in this segment in our home region and worldwide throughout the year.”

Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Group had to deal with losses in March. Sales fell 1.4 percent to 800,600 vehicles. Shipments were down in Europe and China, among others. Volkswagen was able to find success in the American region. High-end brands such as Audi and Porsche sold slightly, but sales of flagship brands Volkswagen and Seat grew well.

BMW’s sales are growing with electric cars and expensive models

At BMW, fully electric cars as well as high-powered and luxury cars were very popular in the first quarter, the company reported. The number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sold increased by nearly 28 percent to 82,700. Sales of vehicles in the premium segment rose by nearly 22 percent. With different driving modes, BMW can respond to changing customer needs. Now it is clear that this strategy is successful, said Sales Director Jochen Goller.

In Europe, demand for cars from Munich grew by 5.5 percent to around 228,000. In the United States, sales rose 1.2 percent to nearly 91,000 vehicles. In the key market of China, however, deliveries fell 3.8 percent to around 187,000 vehicles. Sales of the Mini brand fell worldwide by 9.4 percent to less than 83,000 vehicles. The company announced that preparations for the market launch of the new Mini family were in full swing.

BMW is targeting modest growth in shipments to 2024. Fully electric vehicles and models from the premium segment are expected to see double-digit growth. Last year, BMW sold 2.55 million cars, more than ever before. The group plans to present its financial figures for the first quarter on May 8. A general meeting will follow on May 15.

Model changes and Supply chain issues reducing Mercedes sales

Mercedes-Benz, however, sold fewer cars in the first quarter than in the same period last year. With 568,400 cars and vans sold, that was a six percent decrease, the automaker said. The passenger car segment recorded a decline of eight percent with 463,000 vehicles sold. In terms of trucks, however, an increase of seven percent was achieved at 105,400 vehicles.

The decline in passenger cars is primarily due to model changes and constraints in the supply chain in Asia, which “temporarily reduced sales” in the first quarter, it said. In China, the decrease (minus twelve percent) is mainly due to the improvement of the long-wheelbase E-Class, although sales are expected to increase in the coming quarters. With 168,900 vehicles, Mercedes still sold more than one in three cars in the Chinese market, which is very important for the company.

Mercedes also recorded a decline in fully electric vehicles. Sales in this region declined by eight percent to 47,500 units. Almost every tenth car sold in the first quarter was an electric car.