BMW, Mercedes Sales Rise in February -Executives

By Ilka Kopplin

GENEVA--Global car sales continued to rise in February at BMW AG and for Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand, executives of the two German luxury car makers said Tuesday at an auto show.

Car sales of the BMW group, which include the namesake, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, were 7% higher in February than a year earlier, Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said. The combined increase of the first two months of the year was 6%. He confirmed his aim of selling more cars this year than in 2014.

At Mercedes-Benz, "it seems as if the strong sales momentum has persisted in February," said Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche. The brand's sales this year should rise faster than the overall global market, for which he expects around 4% growth, said Mr. Zetsche.

Mercedes-Benz sales rose even in Russia in January and February, despite the economic slowdown in the country, but Mr. Zetsche said the challenging market conditions there are likely to affect his company in the future. Mercedes' pricing power is good overall, he said.

In China, price developments are "positive and stable" largely because of new car models, whereas some competitors offer high discounts, said Mr. Zetsche. Developments in the U.S. are also good, he added.

BMW's Mr. Reithofer said connected driving will be a major challenge in coming years. The car industry won't be safe from new competitors with greater software knowledge, he said, referring to the possible market entry of Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

But Mr. Zetsche said Daimler was well positioned in the area of autonomous driving and that he "welcomed" any competition.

Write to Ilka Kopplin at [e-mail]

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