Auto industry: BMW's Chinese business collapses by almost 25 percent - but two regions of the world give hope

Berlin. Sales of the Munich car manufacturer BMW fell by 6.3 percent in the summer. Due to weak business in China, sales figures fell to 551,072 vehicles in the third quarter. Since the beginning of the year, deliveries have fallen by 4.9 percent to around 1.7 million cars and motorcycles.

The Chinese market is particularly putting a strain on business. In the third quarter, BMW sold almost a quarter fewer cars in the People's Republic than in the same period last year.

All German car companies are suffering from China's weakness. Volkswagen and Mercedes have also reported declines in sales in recent days, which are primarily due to business in China. However, BMW performed better than its two competitors in the first nine months. Mercedes recorded a decline in deliveries of seven percent, Volkswagen of nine percent.

The Chinese car market has shrunk by a good fifth since the beginning of the year. The reasons are expiring subsidies for electric cars, a weak economy and rising fuel prices. German car manufacturers, including BMW, are particularly affected by this. This is not least because they primarily offer combustion engines in the People's Republic. This segment in particular has declined sharply.