BMW Group makes successful start to new year

The BMW Group increased its sales significantly in January. A total of 112,163 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 105,193) – an increase of 6.6%.

“We made a successful start to the new year, selling more BMW brand vehicles than ever before in the month of January. The BMW Group reported strong sales gains in the Asian and North American markets, among others,” said Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing. The new BMW 3 Series Sedan, scheduled for worldwide release in mid-February, will create positive impetus for growth going forward. “We expect the positive trend in sales to continue over the coming months. In fact, we anticipate even more dynamic growth in the second half of the year in light of the launch of additional new models,” added Robertson.

BMW with new January high
The BMW brand reported the strongest January in its history. Sales climbed 5.9% to 96,183 (prev. yr. 90,858) vehicles. With a total of 13,070 (prev. yr. 10,976/+19.1%) deliver-ies, the new BMW 1 Series registered substantial growth. In spite of the coming model change, sales of the BMW 3 Series remained at a high level with 22,710 (prev. yr. 23,475/ -3.3%) units.

The BMW X1 volumes rose 5.6% to 7,445 units (prev. yr. 7,050). The BMW X3 also started the new year well with 9,348 vehicles sold (prev. yr. 5,984/+56.2%). The same applies to the BMW X5, which reported an 8.3% increase in sales to 8,872 (prev. yr. 8,194) units. Deliver-ies of the BMW X6 also rose 5.0% to 3,372 (prev. yr. 3,211) vehicles. Solid demand for the new BMW 6 Series drove sales to 1,106 (prev. yr. 168) units. The flagship BMW 7 Series also continued to perform well, with sales climbing 37.1% to 5,844 (prev. yr. 4,263) vehicles.

MINI makes a strong start to the year
The MINI brand also remained on its successful course worldwide. A total of 15,768 (prev. yr. 14,125) vehicles were delivered to customers – an increase of 11.6%. The MINI Coun-tryman was among the models to post significant growth, with sales rising 59.0% to 5,575 (prev. yr. 3,506) units.

Strong gains in Asia and North America
The BMW Group made strong gains in a number of markets, including North America and virtually all of the Asian markets, in January. In Asia, deliveries climbed 25.6% to 36,422 (prev. yr. 29,006) vehicles. The dynamic growth also continued in China, the BMW Group’s third-largest market last year: A total of 26,505 (prev. yr. 20,308) vehicles were sold there last month – an increase of 30.5%. Other Asian markets, such as Japan (2,731/+22.9%) and South Korea (2,100/+12.9%), also reported significant rates of growth.

A total of 22,443 (prev. yr. 20,751) vehicles were delivered to customers on the American continent in January. This represents an increase of 8.2%. In the US, the company’s largest single market, sales increased by 5.8% to 19,739 units (prev. yr. 18,656) in the month under review.

The BMW Group also reported strong growth in a number of European markets: Customer deliveries climbed by 12.4% in Italy to 5,445 (prev. yr. 4,845) vehicles; by 10.6% in France to 3,342 (prev. yr. 3,022) vehicles; by 34.7% in Switzerland to 1,316 (prev. yr. 977) vehicles; by 31.8% in the Netherlands to 1,550 (prev. yr. 1,176) vehicles; and by 19.0% in Austria to 1,184 (prev. yr. 995) vehicles.

BMW Motorrad sales 11.1% higher
BMW Motorrad also achieved a substantial increase in sales in January. Deliveries climbed 11.1% to reach a total of 5,237 (prev. yr. 4,714) motorcycles. Husqvarna delivered 544 (prev. yr. 362/+50.3%) motorcycles to customers.

BMW Group sales in January 2012 at a glance