German carmakers Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and Volkswagen had record sales in China and worldwide during the first nine months of 2013.
January to September 2013 saw another record for passenger vehicle sales for German car manufacturers. Despite weak markets in Europe, worldwide and Chinese car sales of German luxury and premium brand cars grew strongly. All German carmakers had record new passenger vehicle registrations during the first three quarters of 2013 with September 2013 for most their strongest month ever. In China, VW, Audi and BMW increased sales by around a fifth. Worldwide, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz were the best performers with double-digit growth year to date.
German Car Sales Worldwide and in China in 2013 (Q3)
German luxury and premium brand carmakers continue to experience record car sales worldwide and particularly in China. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen all had their best first three quarters of a year ever in 2013. However, for Volkswagen and Porsche the increases over last year are weakening as 2013 progresses while Mercedes-Benz has performed better each quarter. All saw an increase in car deliveries worldwide with growth particularly strong in China.
New passenger vehicle deliveries by German car manufacturers from January to September 2013 were as follows:
| Car_Manufacturer | Q1-3 China | % Change | Q1-3 World | % Change |
| Volkswagen | 1,790,000 | 18.2 | 4,340,000 | 3.6 |
| Audi | 358,213 | 20.6 | 1,180,750 | 7.6 |
| BMW Group | 284,964 | 20.2 | 1,436,178 | 7.5 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 155,906 | 7.9 | 1,062,638 | 10.1 |
| Porsche | 27,458 | 14.8 | 119,747 | 14.7 |
All figures and definitions as per the individual car manufacturers. BMW Group statistics includes Mini cars.
Record Sales for Volkswagen Worldwide and in China in 2013 (Q3)
Volkswagen, Germany and Europe’s largest car manufacturer, had its best first three quarters ever in 2013. Both the larger Volkswagen Group and Volkswagen branded cars had their best nine months ever.
The Volkswagen Group (including VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, and Bugatti) increased worldwide sales to 7.03 cars (+4.8%) – the first time ever that the group has exceeded 7 million car deliveries for the first three quarters of a year. (Porsche sales were not included prior to August 2012.)
The VW Group’s largest market remained Europe (2.73 million / -2.4%) while China (2.35 million / +17.7%) by far the largest single country market.
Volkswagen branded car deliveries worldwide increased to 4.36 million (+3.6%) during the first nine months of 2013. China remains the most important single-country market for Volkswagen cars (1.79 million / +18.2%). Volkswagen cars struggled in many other important markets including Germany (410,300 / -8.2%), Brazil (407,400 / -16.3) and the USA (314,800 / -2.6%).
Record Sales for BMW Worldwide and in China in 2013 (Q3)
The BMW Group also saw record deliveries worldwide during the first nine months of 2013. The BMW Group delivered 1,436,178 (+7.5%) cars worldwide between January and September 2013. Sales of BMW branded cars increased to 1,209,598 (+9%) cars.
In China, BMW Group (BMW & Mini cars) sales increased by 20.2% during the first nine months of 2013 to 284,964 vehicles. BMW’s second most important market, the USA saw records too with 262,200 (+11.6%) deliveries between January and September 2013.
Audi – Record Sales Worldwide and in China in 2013 (Q3)
Audi also had a record start to 2013 with sales increasing to 1,180,750 (+7.6%) cars worldwide between January and September. China remains Audi’s most important single market with 358,213 (+20.6%) cars sold during the first three quarters of 2013 – just over 30% of Audi’s total sales worldwide.
In Germany, Audi’s second largest market, sales were down 4.1% to 190,607 cars. Sales were stronger in the UK (115,137 / + 13.3%), which remains the third most important market for Audi ahead of the USA (114,411 / +13.6%).
Mercedes-Benz – Record Sales Worldwide in 2013 (Q3)
Mercedes-Benz also had a record first nine months of 2013 with 1,062,638 (+10.1%) cars sold worldwide. The third quarter was particularly strong with sales increasing 18% worldwide and 26.3% in China – mid-year 2013, sales in China were still down 0.5%.
The USA was the most important single-country market for Mercedes-Benz cars and saw sales of 280,560 (+13.4%) during the first nine months of 2013. Mercedes also managed to increased sales in Germany (191,102 cars / +0.2) and in Europe (496,696 / +7.3%), where almost all other manufacturers are struggling.
In contrast to Audi and BMW, China is only the third most important car market for Mercedes-Benz. Sales in China increased by 7.9% during the first nine months of 2013 to 155,906. Although Mercedes-Benz sales increased by more than a quarter during the third quarter of 2013, Mercedes sales remain well behind Audi and BMW in the world’s second largest car market.
Porsche – Record Sales Worldwide and in China in 2013 (Q3)
Porsche, part of the Volkswagen Group since August 2012, saw the largest increase in sales worldwide of the German luxury brands during the first nine months of 2013. Porsche’s worldwide new car deliveries increased to 119,747 (+14.7%) cars worldwide.
As for Mercedes-Benz, the USA remains the single most important market for Porsche with sales increasing by 26.1% to 31,549 cars during the first nine months of 2013. Growth in China, the second largest market for Porsche, was slower with 27,458 (+14.8%) cars delivered.
