German Luxury Models: Comparisons May Foster Competitive Leasing Programs
Media Contact:
Scot Hall
(513) 381-0100 x 1000
shall@swapalease.com
Cincinnati, October 31st, 2011
In the automobile industry Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi each epitomizes German innovation, superior quality and a premium driving experience. These brands consistently weigh in with three bestselling model series in the United States. However, surprising discoveries about leasing have recently been made by Swapalease.com, the market’s only full-service marketplace for in-process vehicle leases.
The Mercedes-Benz C-class series remains a leader among the brands, showing record gains in the past two years, while adapting to today’s consumers with sleeker body styling and more efficient engines. In the most recent 500,000 web searches, Swapalease.com found that 39% of these were Mercedes models.
Motor Trend calls the BMW 3-series “the ultimate best-selling driving machine,” and with good reason: the 3-series accounted for nearly 40% of total BMW sales in 2005, and shows no sign of slowing in 2012. Swapalease.com reports that BMW holds a daunting 47% of recent user searches.
Worldwide, the Audi A4 more than doubles the sales of its competitor models, while being named a 2011 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. These strong showings don’t translate well to lease numbers, however. Due to various lease-transfer restrictions, the Audi brand was only able to muster a mere 8% of available leases on Swapalease.com
Interestingly, the demand for and availability of third-party assumption of leases for Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles are closely matched. Audi, on the other hand, seems to have sufficient demand, but the supply is weakened by lease limitations. Scot Hall, EVP of Swapalease.com may attribute it to liability issues, “Audi is the only German luxury brand that requires third-party liability on lease transfers,” which basically means “anyone who transfer a lease to another party is still potentially responsible for the monthly payments.”
One thing is clear; if Audi wishes to keep pace with its current record-setting sales numbers and pull ahead of its competitors, changing its lease transfer policies may be a good place to start.
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Swapalease.com is the first and only full-service online marketplace of in-process vehicle leases. With the goal of matching individuals who are currently leasing vehicles they wish to get out of, with individuals who are looking for short-term leases with attractive payments and no money down, it’s the perfect way to find the perfect vehicle for you.
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