[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW 3 Series is Top Selling Compact Sports Sedan in 2012 by Nearly 18,000 Cars

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The BMW 3 Series has taken the sales crown for the compact luxury sports sedan segment for the year 2012. BMW sold 99,602 3 Series in 2012 compared to 81,697 C-Class sold by Mercedes Benz. The 3 Series figure includes sales of the E92, E93, F30 and F31 models.

BMW managed this feat while experiencing some supply constraints on the F30 3 Series during earlier parts of 2012.

Here is the full list of the segment's sales figures.



Figures via The Automakers and Motor Trend.

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[08LMB135i]

Pretty big gap between the top 3.

[宝马.e90]

It's like BMW can do no wrong. Competition is as tight as ever but the 3-Series is still leading the segment comfortably.

[Whostheboss]

In a way its not good, everyone and their mom will be driving a BMW soon.
Then it looses that unique taste. But from a business point of view, its great.

[Ron Scott]

In all seriousness I gave zero consideration to any other car on the list except for a couple of days after riding in a buddy's caddy, and that passed quickly.

The C is a sports car? Really?

The design of Audi 4s bore me to tears. Even today's Chevys have more style.

A Buick Regal?!? HaHaHaHaHa

I'll keep my 335er.

There's nothing out there....

[Beemw335]

Originally Posted by Whostheboss

In a way its not good, everyone and their mom will be driving a BMW soon.
Then it looses that unique taste. But from a business point of view, its great.

+1
Howevee you need ro remember most of these cars are lower end models. Getting a higher end model still gives you that "uniqueness".

[r3dbimmer89]

Originally Posted by Whostheboss

In a way its not good, everyone and their mom will be driving a BMW soon.
Then it looses that unique taste. But from a business point of view, its great.

Nothing is unique about a 3 series... BMW is not Ferrari

[noah123]

i think while the BMW 3 series is spanking new, all other are pretty much 4-5 years old and are due for a redesign soon!!

That to me definitely explains such a big difference..

Anyways- CONGRATS BMW

[shivaswrath]

% 328i?

[宝马.e90]

Originally Posted by Whostheboss

In a way its not good, everyone and their mom will be driving a BMW soon.
Then it looses that unique taste. But from a business point of view, its great.

I don't really see that as a problem. I look at it like this.

People on this forum don't really view BMW's as anything special. Are they fun to drive? Sure. But they don't carry that allure like, say, Porsche's do. As for everyone else, regardless of how many people drive them, it's still German. It's still a BMW. It's still the best/one of the best.

This applies to all German marques. I don't understand why Audi drivers think they're driving something more exclusive cars like it means it's more special or sought after. Yes they're far less common than BMW's and Mercedes,and in that sense they are exclusive, but in reality, they're just the other German marque.

[aajami]

These cars are considered compacts now?

[jtuds]

Surprisingly good number for the ATS in December. Also, those Acura numbers should tell them something....like maybe they only need 1 car in the segment.

[Agamemnon]

Well, the F30 is a new platform and it is a very good car. One of the major benefits of having lots of units on the road is that there should be a good supply of parts as the vehicles age. I have a 1990 300ZX Twin Turbo which is a garage queen with low mileage and in like new condition. However, although not a particularly rare car in its day, parts are not plentiful today. If you need a trim piece like a door panel, its pretty hard to find.

If you lease a new car every three or four years, not an important consideration. If you keep your car for ten or more years, much more a consideration.

[Michael Schott]

Originally Posted by aajami

These cars are considered compacts now?

In the US, yes. At work I park my 328 E90 next to a previous generation Taurus and it looks tiny.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by aajami

These cars are considered compacts now?

Judging by the ever expanding girth of the average American, probably

[phishhead24]

I absolutely love my 328i and I am happy with my choice, but that Buick Regal GS is gorgeous and the Ford Taurus SHO is no slouch either. I am just happy to see that the American manufacturers are putting options on the table.

[Frencholivier]

Originally Posted by noah123

i think while the BMW 3 series is spanking new, all other are pretty much 4-5 years old and are due for a redesign soon!!

That to me definitely explains such a big difference..

Anyways- CONGRATS BMW

Agreed, it's good to be the king.
But the interesting thing is that sales of the F30 have not been radically different than the sale of the previous platform (see bmwconfig data for instance). And the F30 is much newer and it probably benefitted a lot from post-hurricane purchases.
We will see how the F30 sells over time with the flow of newer models coming from Cadillac, Infiniti and in two years, audi and Mercedes.
The real surprise for me is how good the class C still sells.

[Park2670]

Great work BMW!

[F30AM]

As far as I am concerned there are only two cars 'for the real world' worth purchasing that don't cost an arm and a leg and are not the size of an oil tanker:

(1) BMW F30 3 Series
(2) VW Mk7 Golf

Both brilliant in their own right. Each is the best car from their makers' portfolio.

[Diver]

I used to have a G coupe. Not a bad car, but BMW blows it away.

[E60orBust]

Originally Posted by Whostheboss

In a way its not good, everyone and their mom will be driving a BMW soon.
Then it looses that unique taste. But from a business point of view, its great.

That is why you stick your hand in the mod-bug jar and get bitten

[Bama335]

Originally Posted by Whostheboss

In a way its not good, everyone and their mom will be driving a BMW soon.
Then it looses that unique taste. But from a business point of view, its great.

This why the 3 series has gotten bigger and "softer" over the years - the primary market is no longer the forum enthusiasts here.

BMW realizes that there are many more buyers from the grandma, affluent college daughter, the soccer mom next door who is tired of her mini-van or SUV, etc.

At least they haven't forgotten their roots - they still offer a higher end power train, sport package suspension and most importantly, a manual transmission.

How many of the cars in that list do not even offer a manual in the largest engine variant? MB, Caddy, Lexus, Acura

The good news is that if BMW is moving alot of cars at a profit, it lets them have extra Euros to develop "niche" cars like the M brand, the i series, the 1M and hopefully that M235 I'd like in a few years