The BMW brand has regained the top spot as being the most-shopped luxury car brand for the first quarter of 2022. BMW had held this top spot for the past 11 out of 12 quarters, INFINITI beat BMW at the last second in the last quarter of 2021. However, BMW beat out INFINITI once again, regaining the #1 spot as per Kelley Blue Book and also in our customers hearts! BMW’s consideration percentage went up a point from the final quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022; 21% of luxury car shoppers considered a BMW in the first quarter of 2022! Competition BMW is happy to report that there was a 37% increase in shopping for our 5 Series sedan, and a 7% increase of customers shopping for our 3 Series. The BMW 5 Series and 3 Series were not done taking crowns, both of these vehicles were included on the Top 5 Luxury Cars List for Q1 of 2022. The 5 Series took home second place, the 3 Series took home 3rd place out of 5. For the first time ever, BMW was crowned number 1 in Driving Performance!! This milestone dethroned both Porsche and Tesla. This accolade that BMW was awarded is well-deserved, with impressive vehicles and specs on every model and trim level. Highlighting the specs on both the 5 Series models and the 3 Series models will cosign Kelley Blue Book's conclusion (although a test-drive in one of these award-winning vehicles will do the same, but instead of on your computer, you'll have your foot on the gas, your hands on the wheel, and a huge smile on your face!) The BMW 5 Series is as versatile as it is popular! BMWUSA describes this series as such, "Performance...At the top of your game...Versatility is at the heart of the BMW 5 Series Sedan." The 5 Series has 8 different trim models, 2 of them being the electrified 530e model! The other 6 trim levels include affordable, but equally aggressive and still speedy base models, the 530i or 540i, with an xDrive option for both, and two supercharged BMW M Models, the M550i xDrive and the M5! The 5 Series model line up is described by BMWUSA as "precision power plants", meaning each trim level goes only as fast as you want to! The multi-faceted 5 Series really shines when comparing the engine specs. The 5 Series has engines that range from a 2 liter inline 4 cylinder engine in the 530i sedan, to the 4.4 liter TwinPower Turbo V8 engine found in the BMW M5 and the BMW M550i; with powerful options to meet in the middle, a 2.0 liter TwinPower Turbo inline 4 cylinder xDrive in the 530i xDrive sedan. The electrified 530e and 530e xDrive do not compromise their speed, both of these special vehicles house a 2.0 liter BMW TwinPower Turbo inline 4 cylinder engine; the 530e xDrive differs from the 530e's rear-wheel drive with intelligent all-wheel drive. The 3 Series also packs a punch by marrying power and innovation. The core models, the BMW 330i and 330i xDrive are described as compact sports sedans, "style with serious pedigree" by BMWUSA. The BMW 3 Series has engines similar to the 5 Series: 2 liter, 4 cylinder engines. However, these base vehicles from BMW combine a twin-scroll turbocharger with variable valve control and high-precision direct injection. The electrified 330e and 330e xDrive are described as an "iconic sports sedan" by BMWUSA, with innovative electric components. The BMW 330e piggybacks the core model's motor specs from the amount of liters and cylinders to the twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection, but the electrified models have a slight variation. The BMW 330e and 330e xDrive now includes an eDrive 107 mph electric motor as well. The BMW M model, the BMW M3, is BMW's "action-packed sedan." The BMW M model is speedy to say the least as the M in "M model" stands for motorsports. BMWUSA states that "excitement knows no bounds in this extreme sports sedan...BMW M engineering levels up every drive." The BMW M3 can go from 0-60 mph in as little as 3.4 seconds. This is due to the massive power of it's engine, a 3 liter inline 6 cylinder BMW M TwinPower Turbo engine. A simple glance at the gorgeous bodystyle and specs of the BMW M3 brings clarity as to why it was one of the most shopped luxury vehicles for the quarter. At this point, it shouldn't be a surprise that BMW has the most amount of models on the Top 10 List of the Most-Shopped Vehicles for the first quarter of 2022. The aforementioned 5 Series was ranked at 6th, the 3 Series was ranked 8th, and the BMW X5 was ranked 9th. This feat is impressive as the majority of the vehicles on the list were SUVS, 7 out of 10 vehicles were SUVs. One of the many SUVs on the list was our very own SAV, the BMW X5! The x5 is one of BMW's Sports Activity Vehicles with 5 trim levels, the X5 sDrive40i and X5 xDrive 40i, the X5 xDrive45e, and the two BMW M models, the X5 M50i and the X5 M. These SAVs have impressive horsepower, don't let their size fool you! From the base trim's engine bringing 3 liters and 6 cylinders of BMW M TwinPower Turbo power, to the 4.4 liter V8 TwinPower Turbo engine, with options in between much like our beloved 3 Series and 5 Series sedans. Segwaying from the powerful beasts that rest under the hoods, let's congratulate BMW for being awarded for the exterior silhouette of the vehicles! In the category for Exterior Styling, BMW was awarded second place! Kelley Blue Book's ranking is based on their expert number crunching and first-hand experience with these vehicles. If you don't take their word for it, come down to our showroom and take a look at our ever-changing inventory! The inventory might change, but the iconic, head-turning body styles will have the same impact regardless of the BMW model! Once again, a giant congratulations to BMW for such successful vehicles and glowing recommendations from Kelley Blue Book and the Cox Automotive Group. BMW is proud to accept these well-deserved accolades which reflect work well done. After an extremely positive first quarter of 2022, we are on the edge of our seats to see what BMWUSA has in store for the last three-quarters of the year, and for many, many title-winning quarters to come.
