BMW will not raise incentives in sales race with other U.S. brands

BMW will not increase customer discounts just to become the top-selling U.S. luxury automobile brand this 2010. Other automakers like Toyota and Lexus has been keen on giving customer discounts before the year ends, purposely for increasing their sales going into the final weeks of the year.

Executive vice president of operations for BMW’s North American unit Peter Miles said: “We’re chasing profit more than we’re chasing volume.” BMW’s November and December 2010 incentive spending should be in line with October, Miles said, without providing details.

BMW lessened incentive spending by 39% in October 2010 to an average of $2,926. BMW traditionally spends a lot of its incentive money on subsidizing leases, according to Jesse Toprak of TrueCar.com, a researcher that watches automobile sales and marketing. With the recovery of the luxury automobile market this 2010, BMW was able to control their incentives while offering attractive lease programs simultaneously.

Source: Autonews