BMW Group attains record sales in November 2011

Total 2010 sales exceeded by end of November
Record sales year achieved: 2007 sales record surpassed
Robertson: 2011 target of more than 1.6 million vehicles in sight

The BMW Group continued on its successful course in November – sales climbed to 138,978 vehicles, an increase of 7.7% over the previous year (prev. yr. 129,001). Global sales of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles rose to 1,510,862 (prev. yr. 1,319,808) units in the first eleven months of the year, 14.5% more than in the same period last year and a new record for the company.

Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing: “This was our best ever November sales month, with growth right across the world. We have already sold more vehicles in the first eleven months of this year than in the whole of 2010 and we have also broken our sales record from 2007 (1,500,678). This puts our record sales target for the full year of more than 1.6 million vehicles well within reach. In November, the main impetus for growth came from the BMW X3, the BMW 5 Series and the BMW 6 Series – with further momentum from the new BMW 1 Series, which has been available on the market since 18 September and has already received several awards from automotive media.”

BMW brand: best-ever November

The BMW brand also reported the best November in its history. A total of 115,124 vehicles were delivered to customers worldwide in the month under review – an increase of 6.4% (prev. yr. 108.185). BMW deliveries climbed 12.9% from the start of the year to 1,252,205 units (prev. yr. 1,108,710).

The BMW X3 broke through the 100,000-unit mark for sales to the end of November. With 106,103 vehicles sold, this highly-successful model grew at a rate of 157.3% (prev. yr. 41,242). The BMW X1 also remained on track for success, with 115,185 deliveries since the start of the year (+25.7%/prev. yr. 91,622).

A total of 283,065 BMW 5 Series vehicles were delivered to customers between January and November – an increase of 52.1% (prev. yr. 186,060). The BMW 5 Series remains the clear leader in its segment. The BMW 7 Series also continues to perform well, with year-to-date deliveries of the BMW flagship reaching 61,529 vehicles (+6.8%/prev. yr. 57,587). The new BMW 6 Series reported strong gains: Sales for November soared 733.5% to1,392 automobiles (prev. yr. 167). Customer response to the new BMW 1 Series has also been very positive: Sales rose 7.7% to 15,234 units in November (prev. yr. 14,148).

MINI brand: record November

The MINI brand can also look back on its best November ever. In the month under review, global sales climbed to 23,534 vehicles (+14.6%/prev. yr. 20,541). Volumes rose 22.4% (255,595/prev. yr. 208,816) in the first eleven months of the year, with sales growth in virtually all markets. The MINI Countryman continued to perform well, with 8,200 deliveries in November (+96.9%/prev. yr. 4,164). The new MINI Coupé also got off to an excellent start: More than 2,300 (2,347) units have been sold since its market launch in October.

Markets: balanced growth across all regions

The BMW Group made gains in all regions and virtually all markets in the year to the end of November. In Europe, the region with the Group’s highest sales, retail volumes increased 8.3% to reach a total of 775,834 units (prev. yr. 716,610). The company also experienced rigorous growth in Asia, with 342,176 vehicles sold (+33.4%/prev. yr. 256,443). China’s dynamic sales growth continued: Sales have risen over 40% since the start of the year to 215,023 vehicles (40.7%/prev. yr. 152,866).

In Germany, the number of new BMW Group vehicles registered in November rose by 2.8% to 25,705 (prev. yr. 25,007). A total of 270,116 new vehicles have been registered since the start of the year – a substantial increase of 11.1% (prev. yr. 243,176). BMW brand registrations climbed to 233,660 units in the first eleven months of 2011(+9.0%/prev. yr. 214,389). A total of 22,491 new vehicles were registered in the month under review (+0.4%/prev. yr. 22.395). The MINI brand also reported strong growth in November with an increase of 23.0% to 3,214 vehicles (prev. yr. 2,612).

The U.S. also recorded positive sales growth. A total of 272,873 vehicles were sold in the year to the end of November – 14.6% more than the previous year (238,157). 26,271 vehicles were delivered to customers in the month under review (+14.8%/ prev. yr. 22,883).

The so-called BRIKT countries – Brazil (+49.0%/ 13,153), Russia (+38.8%/ 27,018), India (+62.6%/ 8,692), Korea (+44.0%/ 25,203) and Turkey (+59.7%/ 13,704) – reported high double-digit sales growth for the year to the end of November.

BMW Motorrad on record course: Already exceeded 2010 total sales.

In the year to the end of November, BMW Motorrad delivered 100,054 motorcycles (prev. yr. 94,283) worldwide – an increase of 6.1% and already 2,007 more than the total sales for 2010. BMW Motorrad delivered 6,112 motorcycles last month (prev. yr. 5,883 / +3.9%). With the expected December sales, BMW Motorcycle will reach its target for this year. With sales of over 103,000 motorcycles, the white and blue motorcycle brand will deliver more vehicles than ever before in its nearly 90-year-old history.

Husqvarna Motorcycles delivered 7,956 motorcycles in the first eleven months of 2011 (prev. yr. 10,266 / -22.5%). November accounted for 1,181 deliveries (prev. yr. 1,650 / -28.4%).

Source: BMW