BMW

Daimler may sell company-owned German dealerships to cut costs

May 22, 2013 13:19 CET
Daimler may sell four company-owned Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Germany to cut costs and help close a profitability gap with rivals BMW and Audi. Daimler owns 98 Mercedes car showrooms that account for about half of its car sales in Germany, the brand's second-biggest market after the United States.... Read More »

 

German brands enjoy sales boom in Korea

May 21, 2013 06:01 CET
South Korea has become a growth market for BMW, Mercedes and Audi as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a decades-long preference for domestic brands.... Read More »

 

BMW counts on new models to keep U.S. luxury lead

May 20, 2013 06:01 CET
Mercedes-Benz led the U.S. premium-brand sales race through April of 2013, but BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch expects BMW to repeat as No. 1 for the year. Willisch says help is on the way in the form of three models debuting later this year: the 3-series GT crossover, 4-series coupe and a redesigned X5 crossover.... Read More »

 

Toyota overtakes BMW as most valuable global car brand

May 21, 2013 01:15 CET
Toyota has overtaken BMW as the world's most valuable automotive brand, an annual ranking of the world's top brands shows. Toyota's 2013 brand value rose 12 percent to $24.5 billion largely because of its significant inroads in the hybrid market, according to the study.... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

Audi gripes, but Tesla could be en route to niche-brand success

3:59 pm U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Audi wants to be clear: Just because the Tesla Model S is outselling Audi's flagship A8 in the U.S. luxury sedan market, it does not mean Tesla Motors is beating Audi.... Read More »

 

Mini's culture is as quirky as its cars

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Mini is owned by BMW, but there's a broad gulf between the prestigious luxury marque and the funky small-car brand.... Read More »

 

WACKY, LIKE A FOX

Goofy ads, variants help Mini rule its own little world

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
BMW, Mini's parent company, had forecast U.S. sales of 20,000 units of the original two-door in 2003, but 36,000 were sold. That was the beginning of Mini's surprising journey. And they quickly settled on an irreverent, even wacky, persona suited to buyers of what one dealership general manager calls "a happy car."... Read More »

 

TALK FROM THE TOP: LUDWIG WILLISCH, CEO, BMW OF NORTH AMERICA

BMW counts on new models to keep luxury sales crown

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Mercedes-Benz led the U.S. luxury-brand sales race through April of 2013, but BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch expects BMW to repeat as No. 1 for the year. Willisch says help is on the way in the form of three models debuting this fall: the 3-series GT crossover, 4-series coupe and a redesigned X5 crossover.... Read More »

 

Small BMW team rethought electric cars for huge cities

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Nearly six years ago, BMW AG's Project i began to position the automaker for the future. In an interview with Automobilwoche, a German language sibling to Automotive News, Project i chief Ulrich Kranz explained how the idea of a carbon-body car for megacities emerged from his team.... Read More »

 

Hyundai, Kia losing ground to luxury imports at home as tariffs fall

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 19, 2013
Foreign brands have seen their share of South Korea's market for premium vehicles surge to 41 percent from 28 percent in the past two years, according to Korean industry groups, as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a decades-long preference for domestic brands.... Read More »

 

Audi overtakes BMW as India's top-selling premium brand

May 18, 2013 06:01 CET
Audi has overtaken BMW as India's top seller of luxury vehicles, and Audi executives say the success is due to the automaker's rapid expansion outside large urban centers, as well as the Q3 SUV introduced last year.... Read More »

 

European car sales post 1st gain in 19 months

5:19 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
European car sales rose for the first time in 19 months as a gain in consumer sentiment in countries using the euro led to rebounds in Germany and Spain. Still, the European auto market is at a two-decade low, and industry executives are forecasting a drop of about 5 percent for 2013 amid a recession in the 17-nation euro zone.... Read More »

 

ANALYSIS

New S class key to boosting Mercedes profit margins, China sales

May 17, 2013 06:01 CET
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche was leaning back in the rear seat of a prototype Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan in 2010 when he realized it didn't recline far enough.... Read More »

 

ANALYSIS

New S class key to boosting Mercedes profit margins, China sales

9:00 am U.S. ET | May 16, 2013
Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche was leaning back in the rear seat of a prototype Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan in 2010 when he realized it didn't recline far enough.... Read More »

 

Revamped Mercedes S class strives to set new luxury mark

2:00 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
Mercedes-Benz is heralding the redesigned 2014 S class as a flagship that will set new benchmarks for luxury sedans with its packaging of technology, safety gear and opulence.... Read More »

 

BMW's Reithofer tells Germans to embrace EVs

May 15, 2013 06:01 CET
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told his fellow Germans to set aside their worries and embrace EV technology as the carmaker gears up to launch the i3 electric city car.... Read More »

 

Audi sales in China exceed BMW, Mercedes on demand for SUVs

May 14, 2013 11:04 CET
Audi saw the fastest sales growth among German premium marques in China last month after deliveries rose 13 percent to 38,710 vehicles in China and Hong Kong, the company said today. BMW, the world's largest premium automaker, reported an 11 percent gain in core-brand sales to 30,311 units, while Mercedes-Benz said brand sales increased 11 percent to 16,241 units.... Read More »

 

BMW CEO raps EU calls for stiffer car emissions goals

May 14, 2013 13:25 CET
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer criticized calls by European Union lawmakers for tougher fuel efficiency goals by 2025, warning their demands would hurt the European industry in competition with the United States and China.... Read More »

 

BMW seeks third straight sales record as new models offset weak Europe

May 14, 2013 10:49 CET
BMW stuck to its goal of setting a sales record for the third consecutive year as new models help offset a slump in Europe.... Read More »

 

DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC

Audi outsells BMW brand globally for 2nd time in 4 months

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Audi has won rounds two and four of its 12-round fight with BMW brand, but the world luxury-car champ is still ahead on the overall scorecard.... Read More »

 

BMW invests 3 billion euros in EVs, report says

May 13, 2013 12:00 CET
BMW will invest 3 billion euros through the end of this year on the development of its lineup of electric vehicles, funding the "i" subbrand with earnings from its booming business in China, a German business newspaper reported.... Read More »

 

DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC

Audi outsells BMW brand globally for 2nd time in 4 months

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Audi has won rounds two and four of its 12-round fight with BMW brand, but the world luxury-car champ is still ahead on the overall scorecard. The battle to finish 2013 as the global leader in premium-car sales will remain tense.... Read More »

 

BMW global sales rise 7% in April

May 13, 2013 13:43 CET
BMW Group said today that sales of its BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands rose by 7 percent to 155,419 vehicles in April, an record high for the month.... Read More »

 

BMW under inspection in India after report of tax probe

May 9, 2013 06:01 CET
BMW has said it is cooperating with Indian authorities after a newspaper reported the automaker is being investigated for possibly owing $120 million in taxes.... Read More »

 

BMW recalls 220,000 vehicles in Takata airbag issue

May 7, 2013 15:54 CET
BMW said it is recalling about 220,000 vehicles worldwide from model years 2002 and 2003 as part of a wider recall affecting airbags made by supplier Takata.... Read More »