AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)09/10 Report--

Unlike the continuous decline in the car market, the collective rise in sales of first-and second-tier luxury brands has become a wonder of the auto industry in 2019. Take the front-line BBA as an example, Mercedes-Benz and BMW continue to grow by double digits every month. As the three major brands release sales data one after another, let's take a look at this year's ranking of first-tier luxury brands.

After the August sales announcement, Mercedes-Benz continued to rank first with more than 60,000 vehicles; BMW maintained double-digit growth rates both monthly and annual, and is expected to continue to compete with Mercedes-Benz for the top spot; Audi has seen three consecutive months of sales growth, but the gap between Audi and the former is still wide.

Mercedes-Benz has continued to drive more than 60,000 units for two months in a row. Mercedes-Benz (including smart) brand sold 60793 vehicles in China in August, up 10.8% from the same period last year. In the first eight months, Mercedes-Benz sold 470890 vehicles in China, up 3% from the same period last year, continuing to take the lead.

At the end of last year, China's special version of the domestic Mercedes-Benz A-class hatchback went on the market, with an average monthly sales of more than 5000 units, with a certain market increment. Throughout the second half of the year, Mercedes-Benz plans to launch four domestic cars, namely, the domestic compact SUV GLB, the new GLC L long wheelbase version, the AMG A 35L 4MATIC and the EQC pure electric SUV. Therefore, for BMW and Audi, the competitive pressure will increase.

Two major events have occurred in Mercedes-Benz since 2019. The oil spill incident of protecting the rights of Mercedes-Benz in Xi'an caused a sensation across the country, and then the hidden danger of fracture failure of C-class and E-class shock absorbers caused a large-scale recall, involving 570000 vehicles. But in terms of sales, it doesn't seem to have much impact.

BMW chased Mercedes-Benz with double-digit gains. BMW (including MINI) sold 58911 vehicles in China in August, up 10.1 per cent from a year earlier to 462934 vehicles from January to August, up 15.7 per cent from a year earlier.

According to BMW, the overall car market is facing downward pressure, and the reason why BMW maintains steady sales growth is directly related to the drive of the main models. Among them, the BMW 5-Series delivered a total of 108000 vehicles from January to August; BMW X-Series models also continued to maintain the growth momentum, with an increase of more than 60 per cent from January to August compared with the same period last year. Specifically, the new BMW X3 sold 78000 vehicles, the BMW X1 sold 66000 vehicles, and the new BMW X5 sold more than 15000 vehicles.

On the other hand, the new 3 series is in the capacity climbing stage, and the market concessions have not been fully liberalized. Sales in August were only 3332 vehicles, down 68 per cent from a year earlier.

The domestic BMW X2 was officially unveiled at the Chengdu Auto Show, and the new car will be launched in the fourth quarter of this year, further enriching the lineup of domestic cars.

After Audi's price liberalization, sales increased for three months in a row. Audi sold 58580 vehicles in China in August, up 2 per cent from a year earlier, and accumulated sales of 427447 vehicles in the first eight months, up 2.4 per cent from a year earlier.

After the centralized replacement of the main models, Audi's sales have declined, and now after the price liberalization of Q5L, A6L and Q3, sales can be stable for a period of time, of which Q5L sold 13785 vehicles in August, an increase of 25.3% compared with the same period of last year. In addition, Audi A4L sold 14857 vehicles in August, up 38.4% from a year earlier.

In terms of sales from January to August, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are very similar, while Audi lags behind Mercedes-Benz by 43000 vehicles, widening the gap. Taken together, Mercedes-Benz will still launch a new car offensive in the fourth quarter, while BMW still has room to increase sales after the new 3-series production capacity is restored, and there is a good hope to compete with Mercedes-Benz for the top spot. Although Audi sales rose to the normal level, but the overall sales gap is more obvious, can only be ranked third.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat