In the automotive industry, when we talk of cars coming from Europe, the first vehicle that comes to mind is none other than BMW.  Usually. 

In fact, even at the time of Hitler—who he again?—BMW took a large chunk of Europe’s influence on the world market.

No offense meant, of course, to the rest of the Europe-based car companies, which are all definitely good carmakers as well. 

In case you have forgotten, a letter written by Hitler himself—while in prison, that is—was addressed to a bank.  Hitler was requesting for a loan to buy his favorite car: A BMW (the model he wanted escapes my mind at the moment).

No one knew for sure if Hitler got his loan for the car.  Unfortunately, war records pertaining to Hitler had been mostly destroyed, if not razed to the ground when the war offensive by the Allies against Hitler and his Nazis was raging like wild fire.

But it is no secret that Hitler, when he ruled Germany and was close to conquering all of Europe at the height of World War II—he nearly had the world by its throat—had BMWs at the flick of his finger.  Mostly, if not all the time, his official car was a BMW.

Perhaps, for accuracy, it would also be nice if I say here that, aside from BMW, Hitler also favored the Volkswagen—another of Germany’s auto ingenuity. 

To the uninitiated (I guess lots of them still linger around if I may be that irreverent once more, if not downright bold), the Volkswagen was invented primarily for use by Hitler’s soldiers when they mounted their offensives in the desert.  The reason, of course, was obvious:  You find no water in the desert. 

Known popularly afterward as the Beetle for its sheer shape copied after the ubiquitous insect, the Volkswagen has no radiator—thus, it needs no water to keep its engine purring for hours on end.

Didn’t General Rommel become so famous with his assaults onboard the Beetle?  But that’s another story.

Just recently, BMW got me collared to have lunch at a Makati hotel. 

Who am I to say no?

First, Maricar Parco is a friend from way back. 

Second, Maricar hasn’t changed one teeny bit despite the famous leapfrog she’d just had, which became the talk of the town as it established a benchmark insofar as scaling the corporate ladder in the car world is concerned.

And third, Maricar, whose humble beginnings in the industry would easily rival that of Pacquiao’s, is “merely” the president of Asian Carmakers Corp. (ACC) today—the country’s exclusive importer of BMWs.

I can always say no to a friend but to a BMW bigwig?

Uh-oh, no way, fellers, or you could be in trouble.

Not that Maricar would mind.

It is, that who are you—a mere wordsmith in the first place—to turn down someone so nice and mighty, and a lady at that, like Maricar?

It would be the height of disrespect if you did, if not the apex of chivalry in reverse.

Maricar had practically come full circle, hopping from one car company to another, before she finally found a home in BMW. 

How many can be like her?

Indeed, many are called, but few are chosen.

Everybody’s proud of her—from Arnel Doria (Honda) to Big Mac Dave Macasadia (Ford) and Ray Butch Elvis Gamboa (Sunshine TV).

In this very intimate circle this noon that also included Glen P. Dasig, Maricar spoke of how BMW scored market surges almost unprecedented in the industry.

“To start off, if I may attempt to bore you with data,” said Maricar, “BMW has recorded the highest growth in the premium luxury segment in September.”

She mentioned about the ACC continuing its grip on the lead, recording an astonishing 30-percent increase in sales from August to September this year.

“Year-to-date sales performance is over 560 BMW cars, grabbing a 32-percent share in the premium segment,” Maricar said.

Even Campi records show that BMW has retained its leadership with an 8-percent increase in year-to-date sales last month.

“At the core of BMW’s growth is the strength of its products, which carries the momentum upon which BMW has ridden its success,” said Maricar.

This increase in year-to-date retail sales versus the same period in 2010, according to Maricar, was powered by the strong performance of the X Series, 7 Series, 5 Series and 1 Series.

In the SUV premium segment, the BMW X Series is tops for the month with 158 units sold, chalking up a 32-percent market share. 

Likewise, the flagship model 7 Series led with a 27-percent share of its segment, with year-to-date sales at 33 units.

The 5 Series saw the biggest growth with a 39-percent increase in sales over the same period of the previous year even as the 1 Series garnered the largest growth at a whopping 94-percent increase in sales—with a 49-percent share in its segment.

And this one takes the cake:  While the total automotive industry was down, the total premium luxury segment recorded a 3-percent increase in September year-to-date figures compared with the same period in 2010.

“Glen is good, I tell you,” said Maricar of Glen, who just got aboard ACC in July, a recruit from Ford Philippines.  “He makes things happen.”

Not to be outdone, Glen said, “It’s the leader still. With Maricar at the helm, we are all inspired.”

Do we have instant MAS members here, as in Mutual Admiration Society? We all raised a glass: “Commercial muna.”

“The growth of BMW in the Philippines is testament to our customers’ continued patronage for vehicles that they want and value,” said Maricar. “Achieving this position was not easy, but it is a challenge we persistently pursue with a simple formula—delivering joy to our customers.”

In the world picture, Maricar was also proud to reveal that BMW was likewise dominant—a fact that makes Maricar, and even Glen, grin from ear to ear once more.

“The BMW Global has garnered a 9.3-percent increase in sales, also in September, resulting in a 14.5-percent year-to-date growth in sales over last year,” said Maricar.  “Worldwide, in September alone, BMW sold 128,446 units.”

And while the year-to-date figures put it at 892,000 units sold in 2010, the 2011 data jacked up to 1,021,000 BMWs sold.

At the core of this success is the strength of the new BMW X3, with a 260.6-percent year-on-year increase at over 11,000 in September alone, and the high demand for the 5 Series, which achieved a 30-percent increase in September year-over-year sales versus 2010.

Maricar ended it by pointing out this amazing fact:  BMW has been the premium luxury segment leader for the last nine consecutive years.

“But keeping this leadership does not depend on a product alone,” said Glen, now the ACC Executive Director. “One major pillar in our success is the strength of our dealership network around the country.”

Certainly, Ford’s loss is BMW’s gain.

And, yes, going back to that Hitler letter. It was auctioned off and, if memory serves, it commanded quite a fortune to the unidentified seller.

Surely, it was bought by a collector.  But if the buyer turned out to be be an avid BMW fan and not a Hitler fanatic, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Would you be?

Pee stop. As we remember our dearly departed and drive home to the country to be by their side, let’s be safety conscious.  To rush is to get to our destination—the cemetery.

In Photo: Glen P. Dasig (left), ACC sales and marketing director and Maricar Cristobal-Parco (right), president of Asian Carmakers Corp. (ACC )