According to AutoGuide, BMW claims to have sold a total of 281,460 units in the U.S. for the year 2012. The figures are more than the numbers recorded by Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. which is only 274,134. However, the findings of R.L. Polk & Co. state a different story.
Based on the analysis of the automotive information provider, the number of luxury vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the time refutes BMW’s bragging. Statistics show that there are a total of 272,674 Mercedes-Benz registrations during the period. BMW only scored 267,649 in terms of registrations during 2012.
Polk pointed out several discrepancies in the sales report too like counting the vehicles that were delivered in dealerships as sold. Other elements include demo usage and service loaner usage which really jacked up the numbers of BMW’s sales report.
Kenn Sparks, spokesman of BMW, stood firm in his company’s report. He cited that the information in the registration records can have flaws because it can have a lag of 60 to 90 days especially during times when sales are strong.
Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. refuted the argument of their rival in his interview with Bloomberg. He said that the data in vehicle registration is more meaningful.
