BMW, Mercedes Top Sellers as Luxury Car Sales Defy Pandemic Woes

December 2020 saw luxury car sales in Kenya rise 7 per cent defying the harsh economic times, according to the latest data from the Kenya Motor Industry Association (KMI).

152 units were moved in the period under review, compared to 152 units in the same period in 2019.

For perspective, overall sales of new vehicles fell 16 per cent to 13,999 units moved. The situation was attributed to widespread income losses and business closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

BMW, sold by InChape Kenya, was the best performing luxury car brand in the period under review. New units sold rose to 24, up from 17 the previous year.

Mercedes, sold by DT Dobie, was the second best performing brand. 59 new units were sold, up from 47.

Porsche Centre Nairobi saw orders for Porsche decline to 25 from 27. A contract termination for the Kenyan dealer takes effect at the end of January 2021.

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The dealer has seen sales steadily decrease since entering the market in 2014. It had initially posted a strong performance, moving 125 units in the first eight months.

The Germany-based franchise owner Porsche AG is reportedly mulling transferring the dealership to an existing player or a new player in the market.

Jaguar sales by InChape Kenya also dropped, from seven to six while Bentley sales by Bentley Nairobi also decreased from three to two.

Sales of luxury cars for the 11 months preceding November 2020 had slumped 30 per cent, a situation attributed to the pandemic.

236 units were moved in the period under review, down from 340 units in 2019.

Notably, however, even then BMW posted a strong performance as other brands registered lower sales. The brand sold more than three times the units sold in July-November 2019.