Autohaus Ranks #1 In New Sales

2010-02-12

Autohaus BMW Ranks Number One in New Car Sales

In the State of Missouri

(January 20, 2010 - St. Louis, MO)….St. Louis’ oldest and most prestigious BMW Center,

Autohaus BMW, sealed ’09 with a bang-up sales year in a collapsed economy.

In December alone, Autohaus BMW sold over 26 cars in just two weeks. One of the

reasons for their successful month was partnering with the charity Toys for Tots and

staying true to the Autohaus Experience. Autohaus BMW has always been an

organization known for their quality leadership and divine sales procedures in luxury

goods. Autohaus kept up their strong selling ethic, and continued to be a business that

gave back during the spirit-giving holidays.

MINI of St. Louis followed suit and formed a similar charity partnership with St. Louis

Bulldog Rescue and Adoption, with helpers Santa Claus & PHAT the Bulldog. MINI

felt that if they played off their Bulldog commercial through a charity related to

bulldogs, it would create a triggered memory point and make people think MINI. Both

Santa and PHAT were on site to take pictures and keep customers and MINI buyers

happy. MINI’s enthusiasts got the opportunity to test drive their favorite MINI and at

the end of the weekend affair, 8 cars were sold with more placed on hold.

Months like these were what helped make Autohaus BMW the #1 BMW dealers in the

state of Missouri! Autohaus BMW sold 586 new BMWs and 267 pre-owned vehicles in

’09 with sales essentially increasing from 2008, during one of the worst recessions in 40

years. Besides the amazing new car sales, pre-owned BMW sales were also up an

astonishing 41% from last year.

“In an economical down-turn your company has to find alternative and creative routes

to bring not only the new clients in but, keep up with the current clients and make sure

customer service and experiences stay at 100%. In reviewing our sales numbers and

surveys, I think our staff went out and decided to not believe in any negative hype and

focused only on the accolades that surround us, our brand and name,” stated Joe

Emerson, Sales Manager for Autohaus BMW.

In comparison, MINI of St. Louis saw a major spike in sales during The Cash for Clunkers

program as well as other signature partnered events, similar to those mentioned above.

The combined events led MINI of St. Louis to retail 465 new MINIs. Additionally,

consolidated service and parts & collision center sales were up 11.8% from last year.

Autohaus BMW took an enormous leap of faith by opening a modern new facility

(nearly 57,000 square feet under one roof; more than the length of an NFL Football Field!) in

2008. This obviously wasn’t the best year to take on a project so financially draining but

it has proven to have been a wise decision that has led to recognition in BMW sales

overall for 2009. Autohaus BMW wanted to make sure that even with a weakened

economy “The Autohaus Experience” would remain the same no matter what �" and it

has.

“When you create a new building, so over-the-top and gorgeous for your clientele, you

can’t visualize the outcome or predict exactly what will happen. The facility was

obviously a huge investment to us and while we successfully opened our doors to

something new we watched many other dealerships fade to dark- we’re extremely

thankful to our loyal customers, “expressed Kevin Dwyer, General Manager of

Autohaus BMW. The result: A constant high 2009 Customer Satisfaction Index rating,

which has helped Autohaus BMW to contend for the prestigious BMW Center of

Excellence award. This award is a major achievement that only 10% of all U.S. dealers are

recognized for annually.

Autohaus BMW is not only committed to being the best in sales and service in St. Louis

but also is committed to being a leader in eco-friendly “green” living, which is also not

always a low cost investment to customers.

Autohaus BMW developed many facility “green” enhancements including but not

limited to:

waste oil fueled furnaces providing heat which help conserve the use of our

natural resources

equipment in the service department being efficient & environmentally sensitive

automatic carwash conserving water

vehicle lifts that are self-contained units ensuring no contaminants leak into the

ground

low-E glass is utilized in the showroom to minimize energy loss

white roof, made of a state-of-the-art vulcanized material, maximizes energy

efficiency

However, when it comes to the energy efficiency in the cars: MINI of St. Louis became

one of the number one selling cars this past year and was acknowledged by many auto

reviewers and consumers because of MINI’s overall average gas per mile ranging

between 33-37 which is based on the style of the MINI and if the car is manual or

automatic. When gas prices hit astronomic levels, MINI Coopers soared. Then there are

the BMW vehicles like the BMW Hydrogen 7 series, the world’s first, that was featured

on site at Autohaus and this year, recently announced: the X6 ActiveHybrid which has

an electric motor in the SUV and is available at the Autohaus location.

At Autohaus BMW and MINI the future looks brighter and greener than ever!