Amid a continuing economic downturn, Germany luxury carmakers Daimler AG and BMW on Friday reported a major slump in sales for October, reported dpa.
Daimler said sales plunged 18.1 per cent to 93,900 vehicles compared to October 2007.
Sales of its core model Mercedes-Benz were down more than 20 per cent to 80,250 vehicles, while those of the subcompact Smart were up 11.3 per cent to 11,300.
The company said the biggest declines were in Western Europe and the United States.
BMW said its sales were down 8.3 per cent in October to 113,000 cars, also compared to October 2007. In the first nine months of year the company said it sold 1.22 million vehicles, slightly more than the same period in 2007.
Daimler and BMW have announced temporary closures of factories to save costs following a drop in orders triggered by the global credit crisis.