This month I am introducing a new feature for the monthly BMW Group Sales Report. Take a look at the two ?% of TOTAL BMW? columns in the BMW report and the two like columns in the Mercedes-Benz section. This new information gives you an immediate indication of the relative importance of each series to the total sales figures for the current month and the current YTD period. Let me know if you like this additional info or if you think it makes the report too busy.

BMW Group vehicle sales this month were down 5.0% when compared last March. However, YTD sales for the first quarter of 2005 were up 7.0% based primarily on sales on the 6 Series, X3 and X5 trucks and the MINI brand.

Sales of the X Series increased 14.5% while car sales were down 18.4% when compared to last March. My guess is that car sales would have been down even more save for dealer incentives on the 3 Series sedans and the Z4.

Sales of the BMW brand were down 11.2%% this month when compared to March, 2004.

Note that the Mercedes-Benz sales report is now included with the BMW Group Sales Report.

Total MB sales of 18,162 units were up a mere 1.9% when compared to the total of 17,816 sold in March of last year. First quarter 2005 sales for MB were down 11.0%.

Please note that I report only United States sales data.