BMW Is Still the King of the Luxury Car Industry

The prestigious German car maker BMW has been the best-selling luxury brand in the automotive industry in 2014, the tenth consecutive year that maintains the leadership. The bad news for the German manufacturer is that its competitors are advancing and reducing the distance between them.

BMW sold 1.81 million cars in 2014, 10% more than in the previous year. The second of the ranking was Audi, with 1.74 million vehicles, with a slightly higher growth than the leader, an 11%. Finally, Mercedes has reduced its difference with its two main competitors, increasing sales by 14% to around 1.65 million vehicles. In this case, the investment efforts of Mercedes, who remain third from three years ago, is paying off. Its goal is to become the industry leader in 2020, although this must overcome two tough competitors, especially BMW.

2014 has definitely been a great year for the industry of luxury cars, which has seen how sales figures of major brands have grown at double-digit rates. However, 2015 may be a more complicated exercise for the sector. Over the last year the weak European demand has been offset with a great performance in the United States and China. However, is complicated that this effect can be maintained (at least with the same intensity), as the slowdown in the Chinese economy is becoming more evident and experts warn that the sector has grown in the US in 2014 over what the economic situation suggested, so we could also see a slowdown in sales.

Besides the three major manufacturers, it deserves a special mention for Ferrari and Rolls-Royce. The latter, a true bastion of luxury car, has sold 4,000 cars in a year for the first time in its 111 years of existence. It is an annual growth of 12% and marks its fifth consecutive year of record sales. Meanwhile, Ferrari is an outlier in the industry.

The latest published data indicated a decline in car sales for the policy of the former President Montezemolo to limit deliveries to 7,000 vehicles per year to maintain the exclusivity of the firm (a policy that has been one of the main reasons for his firing). In any case, we have a measure that can give us an idea of its success: the queue to buy a Ferrari has reached at record level never seen in its history

Figures in Spain: Spain also shows the good momentum of the industry, although the data do not exactly match the global figures. The number one selling brand in 2014 -with a big difference- was Audi, with more than 37,650 units sold, followed by Mercedes (30,780) and the third is the world leader, BMW (with 26,680 cars).

Regarding growth rates, Audi is the last (6%), while BMW grew by 13% and Mercedes is the great outstanding in relative terms with an annual increase of almost 30%. Ferrari has grown a similar rate to Mercedes, with 46 cars sold (ten more than in 2013). Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce sold 4 cars last year in our country, one more than in the previous year.

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