Mercedes-Benz and BMW, both renowned German luxury car manufacturers, reported a decline in their sales within the Chinese market during the third quarter. Mercedes-Benz, specifically in Sri Lanka, faced setbacks due to supply chain issues and model changes.
Supply issues impacted Mercedes-Benz’s global sales figures, resulting in a 4% decrease in sales from July to September compared to the same period the previous year. However, the company revealed that total sales for the year remained 2% higher than the previous year, leading them to maintain their full-year forecast.
During the third quarter, the company’s wholesale sales figures plummeted to 510,600 units. This decline was attributed to the model switch of the E Class and supply chain bottlenecks affecting the production of the GLC, a luxury SUV. Remarkably, the Chinese market experienced a particularly sharp drop, with a 12% decrease in sales.
In contrast, BMW performed relatively well in the global market, with a 5.8% year-on-year increase in retail sales from July to September, reaching 621,699 units. However, the Chinese market proved challenging for BMW, as retail sales of both BMW and Mini models in China only saw a modest 1.8% increase. This was primarily due to weak demand and heightened price competition.
Despite the sales downturn in the third quarter, BMW noted that annual sales in China had still managed to grow by 1.7% thus far, and global retail channel sales for the first nine months of the year increased by 5.1%.
For Mercedes-Benz, wholesale sales figures in China for the first nine months mirrored those of the previous year. While the company did not disclose specific retail sales data for this period, a spokesperson indicated that the nine-month sales data remained positive.
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