BMW 3 Series Wins 2012 Compact Luxury Sports Sedan Sales Crown

tturedraider commented:
January 4, 2013, 10:49 pm

Yea, BMW!! But the opening sentence is kind of funny, 'cause most of us have spent the year commenting on how few F30s we have seen on the road so far.

boltjaM3s commented:
January 4, 2013, 10:50 pm

Considering how few F30's there were in inventory overall, the fact that the factory shut down for a month in transition, and how word is out on the coming new bodystyle Coupe and Cabrio, it's a fantastic achievement for BMW.

BJ

bmw_or_audi commented:
January 4, 2013, 11:33 pm

It would be enlightening to see a breakdown of E9x/F30 sales for the 3.

captainaudio commented:
January 4, 2013, 11:51 pm

Just a guess but I would think the F30 would represent the bulk of the sales.
The fact that the E92 and E93 are about to be discontinued would probably turn off a lot of buyers.

CA

LarryboysUDM commented:
January 4, 2013, 11:54 pm

BMW reigns supreme in the luxury sports sedan category....it's great to drive a bimmer!

beden1 commented:
January 5, 2013, 1:16 am

I wonder how many cars were sold in the US and then shipped to buyers in China? When you buy a Porsche in the US, you have to sign an agreement that the car will not be re-sold outside of the US within a period of time.

pkim1079 commented:
January 5, 2013, 5:40 am

I think the bulk of the sales are still e9x. You get good deals because the new models are out. Plus we still dont see as many f30s as them. I never understood buying the older model brand new even with a discount when the new ones are out. After the honeymoon stage i would feel like its outdated already.

Guess bj was correct in his "this is a luxury car" argument lol.

boltjaM3s commented:
January 5, 2013, 10:13 am

I think the answer is something more like "the F30 is the best at being both." It's 2-cars in 1. It's a $50,000 fully loaded German luxury car and it's a $36,000 step-up to a Passat or an Accord.

Instead of "The Ultimate Driving Machine" might as well be "Have It Your Way" because you can option up and customize the F30 to be anything you want moreso than any time in 3 Series history.

The Adaptive M Suspension is a good example. You can create a car that looks like a stately Luxury line and have it perform like an M-Sport. Or, conversely, create a car that looks like a Sports beast and have it soft and comfortable when necessary.

As someone who owned two E9X products over a 5 year period, I almost left the BMW brand because the standard suspension was just too harsh and my kids couldn't take feeling all the bumps and road imperfections, literally made my 11 year old nauseous to drive in dad's car for too long. Hit a pothole, BOOM, made me feel like I just blew a tire. That's no way for a luxury car to behave. BMW's softening of the base suspension is a Godsend to many, many E90 drivers.

BMW has been straddling the line between Luxury/Comfort and Sport/Performance for decades, sometimes teetering more towards one side than the other. They finally said screw-it, just make both in a really big way and let the buyer have at it. It's a huge win vs. the competition which tends to lock in on one side over the other. Two engines, five trims, six packages, the M Accessories, it's quite a factory-custom car.

BJ

eazy commented:
January 5, 2013, 3:50 pm

I remember back in the old days when Acura use to sell 60-70k TL's a year. Although I do not consider a TL a compact sport luxury car since it the size of a 5 series

bmw_or_audi commented:
January 5, 2013, 4:50 pm

They completely ruined the car with hideous styling and diminished handling capability. Oh, and increased price.

kpgray commented:
January 5, 2013, 5:05 pm

YES! Correct and eloquent explanation on ALL of the above! As for myself, the ride is part of the reason I bought an Acura in '05! I drove the E46 (outgoing model) and the car felt great from a drivers perspective but the ride was SO harsh (Michigan roads are the worst). I was not going up to the 5 as the 3 already carried a $10K premium! The F30 is what put me into the BMW!

LegendsNeverDie commented:
January 5, 2013, 6:45 pm

Impressive! Does this include E90/92/93 or just F30's? On the side note, the ATS is doing very well so far.

3284me commented:
January 5, 2013, 7:22 pm

Sales figures include all E and F 3 series models. Once the xdrive F series became available the last 3 months of the year, sales took off. BMW also beat Mercedes for the overall luxury brand winner for the second year in a row.

SD330i commented:
January 5, 2013, 7:34 pm

Great news BJ ! I m starting to see a few more around the San Diego freeways & highways! Where are the naysayers now ? It was only a matter of time. Every time I drive our 335i is a joy. Those 17 days in NJ were fun , but missed a few hot laps down the freeway & curves. Next time in NJ I will for sure check the BMW corporate headquarters

Chris90 commented:
January 5, 2013, 8:04 pm

2900 in December, is that good? If they're not having inventory issues, seems low to me for a new, heavily hyped car.

EddieB commented:
January 5, 2013, 8:41 pm

Acura lost me when after the Vigor I couldn't get an equivalent model with a manual tranny.

-=Hot|Ice=- commented:
January 6, 2013, 12:47 am

All BMW needed to do was release the AWD version, and it was game over.

boltjaM3s commented:
January 6, 2013, 12:47 am

The car rocks. Next time you're in NJ we'll rent you a 335i here and cruise BMW HQ together.

BJ

-=Hot|Ice=- commented:
January 6, 2013, 12:49 am

Not to shabby in stick form, either.

SD330i commented:
January 6, 2013, 6:28 pm

Sounds like a plan my friend ! How far is the BMW headquarters from Bridgewater NJ ?

boltjaM3s commented:
January 6, 2013, 8:15 pm

50 minutes. 45 if you drive like a New Yorker.

BJ

Q. Senna commented:
January 7, 2013, 8:49 am

/waves @ Cadillac

Congrats, BMW! Keep this up and we'll be #1 for a long time to come.