BMW in PHL tops premium segment with 19% increase

Asian Carmakers Corp. President Maricar Parco

BMW in the Philippines posted 2011 sales figures that are 19-percent higher over its total in 2010 as the brand continues to lead the country’s premium luxury car segment. According to Philippine BMW importer and distributor Asian Carmakers Corp. (ACC), it sold 792 vehicles

last year compared to the 664 units it delivered the previous year, resulting in the BMW brand taking a 33-percent share in its segment.

ACC noted BMWs have been the bestselling luxury cars in the country in the last nine years, and that consumer demand for the brand has grown steadily as shown in an 11-percent increase in BMW’s 2011 fourth-quarter tally when compared to third-quarter results. In December last year, BMW grew 95 percent over the same month in 2010, ACC said.

It cited the strong sales of the BMW 1 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series and X Series models for the brand’s “solid performance” last year.

“We continually improve our products and keep pushing boundaries in order to meet the changing demands of customers,” said ACC President Maricar Parco. “It is this focus on innovation and dynamism that has fueled our success and enabled us to achieve our present position in the market.”

Among BMW’s latest offering in the country is the second-generation model of the 1 Series, which was launched in November last year. ACC said the car dominated its segment, having sold 147 units, which is a 141-percent jump from 2010 figures and a 54-percent share of the premium compact car class.

“The all-new 1 Series is a resounding success for us,” confirmed ACC Executive Director Glen Dasig.

The X Series also continues to lead premium SUVs with 218 units sold last year, resulting in a 33-percent share in the segment, and the bestselling among the models is the X3, which registered a 154-percent spike over its 2010 total. The 5 Series recorded a 67-percent rise in 2011 compared to the year before as the 7 Series remains the frontrunner in its category with a 37-percent slice of the premium luxury sedan class and an 11-percent growth, according to ACC.

It added that BMW’s performance in the Philippines “mirrors the brand’s global performance” as the BMW Group—which counts Mini and Rolls-Royce—in 2011 logged its best sales result ever with a 14.2-percent growth, or 1,668,982 vehicles sold worldwide. Of the total, BMW vehicles (excluding the brand’s motorcycles) accounted for 1,380,384 units, a 12.8-percent growth and also a historical high for the brand. In December 2011 alone, BMW sold 128,182 vehicles, a 10.9-percent increase over the same month in 2010.

BMW Motorrad, the carmaker’s motorcycle division, also recorded a best-ever year in 2011 with 104,286 units sold, a 6.4-percent increase over the previous year’s total.

For 2012, ACC bared it plans to “further strengthen BMW’s leadership position in the luxury car segment” by offering the new-generation models of the 3 Series and 7 Series, as well as by adding new dealerships, particularly in the southern part of the Philippines.

Dasig noted that among luxury car brands, BMW presently counts the most dealerships in the country with six.

“We remain optimistic in our forecast for 2012 and expect to experience continuous growth,” Parco said. “BMW has been the undisputed leader in the premium luxury for almost a decade, and we plan to further build on this.”