BMW, Mercedes, Audi Forecast Record Sales This Year on U.S., China Demand

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Daimler AG and Audi AG, the world’s three largest makers of luxury cars, forecast record sales this year driven by China and the U.S.

BMW, the maker of Mini and Rolls-Royce models, said today deliveries will increase beyond 1.5 million units this year from 1.46 million in 2010. Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit is aiming to deliver 1.2 million cars and sport-utility vehicles up from 1.09 million. Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz division expects record sales after delivering 1.17 million vehicles.

“We’re looking forward to a very upbeat year in 2011,” Audi Chief Executive Officer Rupert Stadler said at the Detroit auto show. “It is programmed to growth.”

Demand for luxury cars including BMW’s 5-Series, Mercedes’ top-of-the-line S-Class and Audi’s A8 flagship sedan is swinging back from the global recession, a rebound in the U.S. and the fastest growth since reunification in 1990 in Germany, the three manufacturers’ home-market, reported Bloomberg.

Sales in 2011 will be “defined by production capabilities rather than demand,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said at the show. “That’s a good problem to have.”

Munich-based BMW, which premiered the 6-Series convertible in Detroit and the M1, the first high-performance version of its 1-Series compact, is targeting 2 million sales by 2020. Mercedes is presenting a diesel S-Class, its fifth U.S. diesel model while Audi is rolling out an updated A6 sedan at the show.

“Customers are willing to spend again,” said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany. “The momentum in the luxury segment is gaining ground, there’s no denying about that.”

Porsche AG, the German maker of the 911 sports car, said orders jumped 49 percent to a record 114,000 vehicles last year. The manufacturer expects to sell more than 100,000 vehicles this year after delivering 97,000 units in 2010, according to Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller.

“We’re entering the new year with considerable confidence,” Mueller said at a Detroit presentation.