This article from ChannelNewsAsia website:
BMW set on staying as most popular luxury car brand in Singapore
By Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 17 July 2006 1914 hrs
SINGAPORE : BMW is continuing to gain more ground on rival Mercedes Benz in the luxury car sector in Singapore.
Since outselling Mercedes for the first time in Singapore last year, BMW has pushed ahead strongly.
And for the first six months of this year, BMW sold 47% more cars than in the same period last year, consolidating its new-found position as the most popular luxury car brand on Singapore roads.
Mercedes Benz used to be the top selling luxury car brand in Singapore, thanks to its popularity among Chinese businessmen.
But that was before last year.
For the first time, in 2005, BMW sold more cars than Mercedes booking sales of 3,486 units compared to 2,812 for Mercedes, with Lexus as a distant third.
And since then, BMW has kept up the pace - 2,061 units were sold in just the first half of 2006.
This is helped, in no small way, by the sale of more than 400 units of BMW 7 Series to buyers who will get a rebate by agreeing to their cars being used to ferry delegates during the IMF/World Bank meetings here in September.
Since 2003, BMW sales climbed by more than 62 percent, whilst Mercedes Benz sales declined by 25 percent.
Industry observers say the highly popular new BMW 3 Series is one key factor driving sales this year.
The new BMW 3 Series was recently voted "World Car of the Year" at the New York International Auto Show.
In the first six months this year, more than 254,000 units of the BMW 3 Series were sold globally, accounting for 43 percent of the brand's global sales.
Worldwide sales also went up by 11 percent with Asia registering the strongest growth at 21.5 percent.
BMW believes its leadership in car technology is key in the fight for market-share.
"If we talk about technological leadership, we talk about the advance technologies that we put into the car. Of course, over time this will mean that things are becoming a little more complicated than they were in the past, in terms of technology and engineering," said Roland Krueger, MD of BMW Asia.
"In the end, what counts for the customer is the simplicity of the experience, in terms of driving, being able to as we call it in Germany - Freude am Fahren - or sheer driving pleasure. That is what counts," he added.
BMW is now counting on new model launches later this year and next year to keep its sales momentum growing.
But there will be no let-up in the competition from Merzcedes Benz which will soon launch its new face-lift E Class here.
- CNA /ls
Taken from:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/219684/1/.html
BMW set on staying as most popular luxury car brand in Singapore
By Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 17 July 2006 1914 hrs
SINGAPORE : BMW is continuing to gain more ground on rival Mercedes Benz in the luxury car sector in Singapore.
Since outselling Mercedes for the first time in Singapore last year, BMW has pushed ahead strongly.
And for the first six months of this year, BMW sold 47% more cars than in the same period last year, consolidating its new-found position as the most popular luxury car brand on Singapore roads.
Mercedes Benz used to be the top selling luxury car brand in Singapore, thanks to its popularity among Chinese businessmen.
But that was before last year.
For the first time, in 2005, BMW sold more cars than Mercedes booking sales of 3,486 units compared to 2,812 for Mercedes, with Lexus as a distant third.
And since then, BMW has kept up the pace - 2,061 units were sold in just the first half of 2006.
This is helped, in no small way, by the sale of more than 400 units of BMW 7 Series to buyers who will get a rebate by agreeing to their cars being used to ferry delegates during the IMF/World Bank meetings here in September.
Since 2003, BMW sales climbed by more than 62 percent, whilst Mercedes Benz sales declined by 25 percent.
Industry observers say the highly popular new BMW 3 Series is one key factor driving sales this year.
The new BMW 3 Series was recently voted "World Car of the Year" at the New York International Auto Show.
In the first six months this year, more than 254,000 units of the BMW 3 Series were sold globally, accounting for 43 percent of the brand's global sales.
Worldwide sales also went up by 11 percent with Asia registering the strongest growth at 21.5 percent.
BMW believes its leadership in car technology is key in the fight for market-share.
"If we talk about technological leadership, we talk about the advance technologies that we put into the car. Of course, over time this will mean that things are becoming a little more complicated than they were in the past, in terms of technology and engineering," said Roland Krueger, MD of BMW Asia.
"In the end, what counts for the customer is the simplicity of the experience, in terms of driving, being able to as we call it in Germany - Freude am Fahren - or sheer driving pleasure. That is what counts," he added.
BMW is now counting on new model launches later this year and next year to keep its sales momentum growing.
But there will be no let-up in the competition from Merzcedes Benz which will soon launch its new face-lift E Class here.
- CNA /ls
Taken from:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/219684/1/.html
