Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche had a record start to 2013 with higher car sales in China and most parts of the world.
German car manufacturers had another half year of record car sales during the first half of 2013. So-called premium car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche saw sales increase in almost all regions of the world, including most of Europe, where car sales were famously weak during the first six months of 2013. German car sales in China and the USA generally continue to expand rapidly.
German Car Sales in China in 2013 (Half Year)
German luxury and premium car manufacturers are continuing to enjoy strong sales in China. German automakers have over a fifth of the total Chinese car market, although many of the German cars are actually made in China. China is the most important single-country car market for Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW while the USA is the top market for Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.
German car sales in China and worldwide during the first six months of 2013 were as follows:
| Car_Manufacturer | Car_Sales China Q1+Q2/2013 | % Change | Worldwide Car_Sales Q1+Q2/2013 | % Change |
| Volkswagen | 1,170,000 | 19.4 | 2,910,000 | 4.4 |
| Audi | 228,139 | 17.7 | 780,500 | 6.4 |
| BMW Group | 182,800 | 15 | 954,521 | 7.7 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 98,914 | -0.5 | 694,433 | 6.4 |
| Porsche | 18,323 | 20 | 81,565 | 17.9 |
Note: All statistics by the respective car manufacturers. % Change compare first six months of 2013 with the same period in 2012.
Mercedes-Benz – Record Worldwide Car Sales in 2013 (First Half)
Mercedes-Benz had the strongest first half year ever in 2013 with record car sales in several regions. Worldwide, Mercedes-Benz delivered 694,433 new cars, an increase of 6.4%
Mercedes-Benz showed an increase in sales in all regions of the world, although sales declined in several important countries including Germany and China.
In China, Mercedes-Benz bucked the trend and saw a decline in sales during the first half of 2013. Mercedes-Benz delivered 98,914 cars in China during the first six months of 2013, a decline of 0.5% in a growing market. In the whole Asia Pacific region, sales increased by 6.7% to 177,948 cars including 24,154 in Japan (+26.5).
In the USA, still the most important single-country market for Mercedes-Benz, car sales increased by 10.4% to 141,950 deliveries. In the whole of NAFTA, sales increased by 9.2% to 161,672 cars.
Europe remains the most important region for Mercedes-Benz. Despite the overall weak market, Mercedes-Benz sales increased in Europe by 4.2% to 327,988 cars. In Germany, sales slumped to 124,324 cars – the decline in sales by 3.3% was still well above the overall market contraction of 8%
Porsche – Record Worldwide Car Sales in 2013 (First Half)
Sport car and luxury SUV manufacturer Porsche also had a record start to a year during the first six months of 2013. Porsche sales worldwide for the first half of 2013 were 81,565 cars, an increase of 17.9%.
Like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche had positive sales growths for its cars in all regions of the world. Even in Europe, Porsche sales increased by 2.1% to 26,199 cars with a strong 19.5% increase in sales in Germany to 11,423 cars.
However, the biggest increase in sales was in the Americas, where Porsche sales increased by 29.9% to 24,936 cars. In the USA, still the single most important market for Porsche cars, sales increased by 29.5% to 21,309 vehicles during the first half of 2013.
In the rest of the world, Porsche deliveries increased by 25.2% to 30,430 cars. China remains the second largest market for Porsche vehicles. Sales in China increased by 20% to 18,323 Porsche car registrations during the first six months of 2013.
BMW – Record Worldwide Sales in 2013 (First Half)
The BMW Group also had its best first six months ever at the start of 2013. Worldwide the BMW Group increased sales by 6% to 954,521 cars, including 804,248 (+7.7%) BMW cars and 148,798 (-2.0) Mini cars.
In Asia, BMW Group deliveries increased by 14.4% to 272,100 cars. China was the most important single car market for BMW – sales increased in China during the first six months of 2013 to 182,800 car (+15%). Other major Asian markets for BMW included Japan – 30,483 cars (+10.1%) and South Korea – 18,412 cars (+18.3%).
In the Americas, BMW sales grew by a strong 9.7% to 213,473 vehicles during the first half of 2013. The USA was BMW’s second most important market – sales increased by 9% to 172,787 cars.
Europe remains the single most important region for BMW. In contrast to other German luxury car manufacturers, BMW sales during the first half of 2013 in Europe were flat (-0.1%) or 436,483 cars.
Audi – Record Worldwide Sales in 2013 (First Half Year)
Audi also had a record first half year in 2013 with sales increasing by 6.4% to 780,500 deliveries worldwide.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Audi sales increased by 18.2% to 270,800 deliveries during the first half of 2013. China saw strong growth of 17.7% to 228,139 cars. China is by far the most important single-country market for Audi – Audi sales in China during the first half of 2013 were almost 100,000 cars more than in Germany. Audi sales in India increased by 21,2% to a still insignificant 4,846 cars during the first six months of 2013.
Audi sales in Europe were down by 2.5% to 383,700 cars during the first six months of 2013 allowing Audi to gain some market share. Audi sales in Germany were down 4.3% to 128,345 cars. In contrast, sales in Britain increased by 11.9% to 74,051 cars.
Audi sales in the USA were even stronger – an increase of 14% saw Audi selling 74,277 cars in the USA during the first six months of the year – enough to narrowly gain third most important country market status from Britain.
Volkswagen – Record Worldwide Sales in 2013 (First Half)
Volkswagen also had a record start to 2013 with worldwide deliveries reaching 2.91 million (+4.4%) cars from January to June. Weak sales in Europe were balanced by growth in other regions.
China is by far the most important market for Volkswagen. During the first six months of 2013, VW sold 1.17 million (+19.4%) cars in China alone. In the whole Asia-Pacific region, VW delivered 1.28 million (17.3%) cars. VW sales in India slipped 12.6% to 31,800 cars but increased in Japan to 32,842 (+13.7%) Volkswagens.
In North America, VW sales increased by 3.9% to 307,000 cars during the first half of 2013. In the important US market sales were flat (-0.9%) at 206,800 deliveries. In South America, sales increased by 7.5% to 361,600 cars despite a contraction of 7.3% to 293,600 cars in the important Brazilian market.
In Europe, Volkswagen struggled more than the so-called premium and luxury German carmakers. VW sales in Europe were down 7.1% to 843,600 cars with the important German market contracting for VW by 8.5% to 309,700 deliveries during the first half of 2013.
