BMW is the largest luxury carmaker in the world currently, and where else could its mettle be tested but in the Middle Eastern market, the black hole in the galaxy of luxury motoring?
The icon remains one of the top favourites of the Middle Eastern market with their best ever half-yearly growth figures. The 5-series was all about consistency with an 8% growth amounting to 2739 cars, while the X5 hasn’t moved up more than a meager 1%, still their second best seller at 2276 vehicles. The slowdown may be partly because of the anticipated arrival of the all-new X5 later this year.
The flagship of BMW luxury, the 7 series turned in a commendable 22% growth, selling 2200 cars amply supported by its association with events like the World Energy Forum held in Dubai and its choice as the airport transfer car for all the three airports in KSA. How the imminent arrival of the new S-class from Mercedes will influence these figures in the second half is yet to be seen. However, the BMW 7-series is well prepared with a mid-cycle refresh that happened last year, and through recent incentives like a free value upgrade on the 730Li.
The 3-series, the volume seller elsewhere in the world is yet to mark its stead as a hugely influential presence in this market, but came up with an astounding 87% increase in sales, even as it clocked only 1406 numbers in sales. Read the DriveME review of the new 7 series: https://drivemeonline.com/bmw-750-li-review-fire-the-chauffeur/
The almost-doubled sales performance come largely due to the generous presence of the 316, the pocket sized BMW 3-series experience. X6, the Sport Activity Coupe you love or hate had 1369 takers, up by 11% compared with the first half of 2012. Read the new BMW 3-series DriveME review: https://drivemeonline.com/all-new-bmw-335i-review-dashing/
Mini goes mega
The success of the Mini was marked by the milestones of the launch of the new JCW foursome, of which the Mini Paceman is the latest addition to this market, launched just last week. Read the Mini JCW DriveME review https://drivemeonline.com/mini-john-cooper-works-2013-review-1-6-calibre-automatic
View the TV Commercial featuring former rally driver Rauno Aaltonen as an enthusiastic MINI fan http://youtu.be/yn8fsVoNnw8
The predominant markets for Mini remained Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Beirut, with theCountryman enjoying a growth of 46% that translates to 352 cars in terms of volume. The “Not Normal” campaign has recently been launched to consolidate the Brand image and affinity among its aficionados.
View the Mini TVC featuring Tillman, the famous skating English bulldog http://youtu.be/hTz718Ucrwg
What to look forward to
The renamed coupe version of the 3 series – the 4 series coupe – will hit the ME market by the end of September. By the way, the naming strategy of BMW uses odd numbers for the more traditional of its offerings, while the even numbers are reserved for the more sportier of the lot. The new X5 will bring up the November rain for those who swear by the SUV, while the hybrid i8 may be expected some time next year. The M6 Gran Coupe has been well received, according to Dr. Joerg Breuer, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East, who presented the report to the media at Emirates Towers last week.
