As of the end of July 2025, the total inventory of the three major German luxury automakers—Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi—in China was approximately 160k units, a decrease of about 17k units compared to the previous month. When compared with last year, the overall inventory volume has shown a significant decline this year.
In July, following a series of measures including production cuts and terminal price reductions, the inventory-to-sales ratios of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi stood at 1.40, 1.44, and 1.67 respectively. Mercedes-Benz and BMW are temporarily within the safe range, while Audi’s ratio remains above the 1.5 safety threshold. Additionally, as new EV players like NIO and HIMA (Huawei) roll out their flagship models, the three German premium brands will face severe challenges once again.
In the first half of 2025, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi reduced their production in China by 44k, 77k, and 47k units respectively, representing year-on-year declines of 14.1%, 23.1%, and 15.2%. Amid mounting competition pressure, the three brands have been forced to keep lowering their terminal transaction prices, with discounts reaching as high as approximately 25%.
In H1 2025, Mercedes-Benz’s inventory turnover days stood at 41, up 7 days year-on-year; BMW’s turnover days were 34, down 11 days from the same period last year; while Audi saw almost no change compared to last year. By model, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW X5, and Audi A4L were the highest inventory share for their respective brands.
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