The battle between BMW and Mercedes-Benz dealers in Orange County heated up late last year.
BMW was a mere 51 cars short of edging Mercedes out of the top spot among luxury car dealers in October and November, according to the Orange County Auto Outlook put out by the Costa Mesa-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association.
Local BMW dealers sold 1,756 cars in the two months, up 63% from the same period a year earlier. For the year through November, BMW sales were up 23%.
Mercedes sales were down for the months of September and October but made a comeback in November.
Mercedes dealers here sold 1,807 cars during October and November, a 24% rise from the year-ago period. In September and October, Mercedes sold 1,506 cars, down 12%.
(The association tracks sales in rolling, two-month increments.)
For the year through November, Mercedes sales were up 4%.
Along with BMW, Cadillac saw a big percentage gain. Sales of Cadillacs were up 30% for the year through November.
But in actual numbers, Cadillac sales remain a fraction of those of Mercedes and BMW, with 469 vehicles sold in October and November.
Lexus had a strong percentage gain with a sizable number of vehicles sold. Sales were up 23% for the year through November. For the months of October and November, Lexus dealers sold 1,331 cars, up 27%.
Toyota, the No. 1 selling brand in OC, had strong and steady sales, up 15.6% for the year through November. For October and November, Toyota dealers sold 6,565 cars, up 25.4%.
Those with declining sales for October and November: Hummer, Jeep, Jaguar, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Land Rover and Saab.
Welcome to Volvo Falls
Irvine-based Shelly Automotive Group LLC recently opened Shelly Volvo, a dealership in Buena Park next to its Shelly BMW dealership.
Owner Damon Shelly “didn’t spare anything,” said David Longridge, general manager of the Volvo dealership. “It’s the only one I know of with a waterfall in the front.”
Other trappings: bamboo floors, limestone and granite counters, kids play area and a plasma TV screen in the waiting area.
The service area has 15 bays with room for more, Longridge said.
Shelly also owns Irvine BMW, Irvine Mini, Long Beach Mercedes-Benz and Santa Monica Infiniti.
The Volvo dealership expects to sell 150 to 250 new and used cars per month, according to Longridge, who used to work for AutoNation Inc. and has been with Shelly for two months.
Shelly Automotive also is investing $20 million in the remodeling of Shelly BMW in Buena Park.
The dealership is expanding its showroom and doubling its service area, Longridge said. It’s open during construction.
Classic Car Guide
Costa Mesa-based Nada Appraisal Guides Inc. launched an online service where classic car buyers can search the make and year of a vintage vehicle and find what they should be paying.
Say you’re looking for a 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Enter the year, make and model and the site shows the original price of $2,750, a relative steal. These days, you could find one for $5,250 to as high as $12,650. The average is $7,950.
Last-Minute Santas
Shoppers around OC waited until the last minute, but they shopped nonetheless.
Visitors to The Shops at Mission Viejo were up in the days before Christmas, said Patsy Sanquist, director of marketing for the mall.
“It was true,” she said. “People waited until the last minute,more than normal.”
The mall saw spikes in shoppers on Dec. 21 and Dec. 24.
“Gift cards were hot,” Sanquist said.
Higher sales of gift cards likely were the result of last minute shopping, she said.
Early indication is that sales were up at Fashion Island, said Laura Davis, director of marketing for the Newport Beach shopping center.
Hot items, according to Davis: the iPod, jewelry and cashmere. A repeat from last year were Ugg boots, she said.
Now shopping centers are looking ahead. The Shops at Mission Viejo plans to see a couple of openings this quarter. Woomi Sushi and a First Cut children’s haircut store both are set to open in coming weeks, according to Sanquist.
“We are always full,” she said.
One retailer closing up shop at the mall is Wet Seal. It’s part of the chain’s retreat.
The center will have one big hole to fill this year,Saks Fifth Avenue. The two-level department store is closing. Saks hasn’t announced when it’s leaving.
“I envision them there through the first quarter,” she said. “They continue to get new merchandise in.”
The Shops has a long list of possible tenants, Sanquist said. One store or possibly three could replace Saks, she said.
