BMW Australia Registered Hundreds Of Demo Cars To Inflate Sales: Report

With the coronavirus having massive effects on all aspects of the global motoring industry, it's only natural for auto companies to take on huge losses and shut down manufacturing and assembly plants in order to cut expenses and keep their people safe. Dealerships around the world are feeling the hurt, too, as daily operations and potential clients no longer walk through the doors; almost anyone isn't in a buying mood these days. So imagine the surprise when industry experts in Australia noticed an interesting trend when BMW reported their sales figures in April. According to Caradvice.com.au, said industry experts have claimed that about 700 BMWs were registered and reported as sold in the month of April.

Those 700 cars are made up of about 300 company cars and 400 demo units across the entire Australian dealer network. These cars accounted for more than 40% of BMW's "sales" in a month where all other manufacturers are struggling. Australia's new-car market alone fell to almost 50% in April, the lowest month-to-month decline so far, and the lowest monthly result in about 30 years. Without these reported sales, BMW would have declined by at least 45% in April, instead of just 5.7%. While these numbers make BMW look good on paper, manipulating and inflating numbers tend to have consequences later on, especially when it comes to sales over the same period for the following year, where data is skewed. Not to mention that there will be some trust issues from investors and stakeholders lingering for quite a while. What's not clear is if any legal action will be taken against the dealerships or distributor at this time. 

In any case, if you've been looking for a BMW and live in Australia, be on the lookout for a ton of low-mileage almost-new cars that are expected to flood dealers in the coming months. Expect huge discounts and a ton of extra deals on these vehicles.