BMW had a good 2012 according to the latest new cars registration data from the UK’s industry body, the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). But it wasn’t their top of the range cars that performed best in the United Kingdom, but their most efficient and affordable 1 Series and 3 Series cars. A sign of the economic times, perhaps?
Two for the top ten
There were two BMW cars in the top ten UK new cars sales list for 2012, as compiled by the SMMT; the 1 Series in tenth position with 34,488 sales and the 3 Series in seventh position with 44,521 cars sold. And to put these BMW sales figures into perspective, the Ford Fiesta sold 109,265 models as the number one best-seller.
And with the top five positions reading like a who’s who of superminis and hatchbacks – Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf – it’s pretty clear that in these tough times, new car buyers are looking away from luxury and towards the smaller and more frugal. A good thing, then, that BMW launched their 1 Series when they did, as up until that 2004 launch, they had nothing to compete with the likes of the VW Golf or Ford Focus.
Mixing it with the best
BMW should be pleased with their smallest and most affordable model making the top ten UK new car sales list, going up against much more established competition from the Ford Focus and VW Golf, and it’s the little BMW’s talent for mixing big BMW feel with small car pricing and accessibility that’s made it the sales success it is.
Great grip, until it snows
The 1 Series, like all BMWs, is rear-wheel drive and this makes drivers feel like they’re behind the wheel of a more dynamic car, compared to the more standard-feeling front-wheel drive cars. Until it snows of course, and then BMW owners find that the rear-wheel drive traction in the snow and ice is just awful. At least with a front-wheel drive car you generally have the weight of the engine to push the tyres through the snow to find traction.
You get what you pay for
Sure, the 1 Series is at the expensive end of its C-segment pricing structure, and if you bought a Ford Focus for the same price you’d enjoy a higher specification. But, it’s the high perceived quality of BMW products that attracts buyers, along with brand badge snobbery and purity of the driving experience. If people who are fans of the BMW brand can afford a new one, then it’s generally the case that they’ll always want to be driving one.
The 3 Series, on, the other hand is entirely established and respected, having been on sale constantly since 1975. It’s BMW’s best-selling model. Admittedly, much of the 3 Series’s success is down to the fact that it serves the compact executive car segment of the market and many of its huge worldwide sales will be down to bulk fleet purchases.
Driver’s cars
Saying that, the 3 Series is still driven by real people – real people who cover thousands of business miles a year and know that they want from a car. Their fleet managers also want the best taxation benefits from low CO2 emitting engines. And it’s in style, build quality, driving dynamics and economy technology that the 3 Series has for so long excelled.
And while there are by far greater profit margins to be made from their more expensive models, it’ll be reassuring to the BMW’s top brass that even their two least expensive models are highly desirable in the cash-strapped United Kingdom.
