Sales and Orders Triple for Newly Positioned BMW 323i

MULGRAVE, AUSTRALIA – october 16, 2009: Sales of BMW’s 323i Sedan tripled last month with customers flocking to the six-cylinder-powered 3 Series that is available for the price of some four-cylinder powered rivals.

Compared to the average sales rate of 25 per month so far this year, BMW dealers delivered 92 examples of the 323i Sedan in September.

In addition, dealers have already taken orders from customers for another 121 cars.

It was the strongest result ever for the current (E90) generation BMW 323i Sedan. The best result previously was 78 units in June 2007.

Total 3 Series Sedan grew from 290 units last September to 491 units last month.

In a segment which has experienced an 8.2 per cent decline this year, BMW 3 Series Sedan sales have grown by 4.3 per cent to 3,741. The car’s share of the segment, over the same period, has grown from 24.1 to 27.4 per cent.

“The desirability factor of BMW’s six-cylinder 3 Series sedan is very high in Australia and our decision to offer the 323i in the hotly contested sub-$60,000 segment is paying off,” said Stavros Yallouridis, the managing director of BMW Group Australia.

“Our dealers have requested additional stock, and report increasing customer enquiries and a growing order bank,” he said.

Renowned for its smoothness, refinement and efficiency, the straight-six BMW 323i sedan is tempting luxury buyers with a starting price of $58,300. Previously, the iconic BMW was priced from $63,200.

BMW’s key rival in this segment, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, offers a petrol six-cylinder version from $89,500. Audi’s six-cylinder petrol A4 starts from $90,900.

Featuring a creamy smooth 140 kW in-line six-cylinder engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the BMW 323i Sedan delivers a powerful and responsive driving experience.