BMW Group reports best October sales ever

139,276 vehicles sold in October, an increase of 8.3%

Robertson: Well on course to reach new sales record in 2011

Munich: BMW Group sales recorded solid growth once again in October. With 139,276 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles delivered worldwide (+8.3% / prev. yr. 128,598), the BMW Group achieved its best-ever October sales result. A total of 1,371,863 (prev. yr. 1,190,796) vehicles have been delivered to customers since the start of the year – an increase of 15.2% compared with the first ten months of the previous year.

Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing: “Our vehicles continue to be in strong demand worldwide and once again we achieved record sales for the month of October. The BMW Group is well on its way to reaching its target of more than 1.6 million units and achieving an all-time high for sales in 2011. The new BMW 1 Series has had a successful start and we have had an excellent customer response to the new BMW 3 Series sedan, which will be launched worldwide on 11th February 2012. We are very confident that this new model will continue the success story of the BMW 3 Series.”

The BMW brand sold 115,136 (prev. yr. 107,796) vehicles worldwide in October and grew at a rate of 6.8% year-on-year. Well over 1.1 million BMW vehicles have been delivered to customers (1,137,065 units, +13.6%) since January 2011. The BMW 5 Series maintains its position as the clear segment leader with strong sales of over 25,000 units in October (26,370; prev. yr. 23,808/+10.8%). The new BMW X3 also continued to be popular with customers, with worldwide sales soaring 333.8% last month to 10,949 vehicles (prev. yr. 2,524). The BMW X5 remains market leader worldwide in its segment and celebrated an important milestone in October by reaching sales of over 500,000 vehicles since its launch in December 2006. With 8,290 vehicles sold last month, sales for the BMW X5 remain close to last year’s level (prev. yr. 8,585/-3.4%). Sales for the new BMW 6 Series have gained strong momentum, with 1,152 units sold in October, an increase of 506.3% over the same month last year (prev. yr. 190).

The BMW 7 Series continues to perform well, with October sales of the BMW flagship rising 36.4% to 6,271 units (prev. yr. 4,597).

The MINI brand achieved a new sales record for October. Volumes rose 16.2% to 23,839 units (prev. yr. 20,523). In the year to the end of October, 232,056 units (prev. yr. 188,275/+23.3%) were sold. The MINI Countryman continued to report strong sales with 8,645 vehicles sold last month (prev. yr. 3,525/+145.2%).

The newest and fifth member of the MINI family, the MINI Coupé also got off to an excellent start in October. Robertson: “When we launched the new MINI ten years ago, we created the premium small-car segment. Since then, we’ve been busy growing the MINI family. New additions to the line-up have propelled MINI to new sales records. And now with the new MINI Coupé and MINI Roadster, we fully expect MINI’s momentum to continue.”

The BMW Group increased retail volumes in its three largest single markets of Germany, the U.S. and China, among others, in the month under review. In Germany the company reported a 4.9% increase (24,364 / prev. yr. 23,220) in vehicle registrations. BMW reported a 2.0% increase in registrations to 20,977 vehicles (prev. yr. 20,557) and MINI experienced vigorous growth of 27.2% with 3,387 vehicles registered (prev. yr. 2,663). A total of 244,418 (prev. yr. 218,160/+12%) BMW Group vehicles have been registered year-to-date and the company continues to lead the German premium market. The U.S. reported robust growth, where the company sold 27,288 vehicles, which was 17.5% more than the 23,222 deliveries in October 2010. A total of 246,602 (prev. yr. 215,274/+14.6%) BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers in the United States in the year to the end of October. BMW Group sales in China remained high in the month under review – 18,346 (prev. yr. 13,738/+33.5%) vehicles were delivered. From January to October a total of 195,868 vehicles were delivered, an increase of 44.5% compared with the same period last year (prev. yr. 135,564). Strong growth was also recorded in the dynamic markets of Russia (2,925 vehicles/+55.5%), India (890 vehicles/+18.2%) and Turkey (1,657/+18.2%).

BMW Motorrad: In the year to the end of October 2011, BMW Motorrad delivered 93,942 motorcycles (prev. yr. 88,353) to customers worldwide – an increase of 6.3% and a new all-time high for the first ten months. BMW Motorrad continued its growth course in October, with a total of 7,050 motorcycles sold (prev. yr. 6,845/+3.0%). Thanks to its positive sales performance in a persistently difficult overall market, BMW Motorrad has continued to expand its global market share of the relevant segment above 500cc. Husqvarna Motorcycles delivered 6,775 motorcycles in the first ten months of 2011 (prev. yr. 8,616/-24.4%). October accounted for 695 deliveries (prev. yr. 1,356/-48.7%).

Source: BMW Asia