BMW Group achieves best global sales month in March 2016

March 2016 saw the BMW Group sell more vehicles than in any other single month in the company’s 100 year history. A total of 240,659 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were handed over to customers around the world, an increase of 3.5% on the same month last year. In the first three months of the year, sales increased 5.9%, totalling 557,605 vehicles.

“March 2016 has been the best single month ever for BMW Group sales and I’m delighted to see that our innovative product range is enabling us to achieve ongoing, sustainable and profitable growth,” said Dr Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for sales and marketing BMW. “Globally, I am confident that we will see this positive trend continue through the year,” he added.

For the first time ever, sales of BMW brand vehicles topped the 200,000 mark in a single month. A total of 201,352 BMWs were handed over to customers in March, an increase of 2.9% on the very high sales of the same month last year. The brand also achieved record sales for the first three months of the year, with a total of 478,743 vehicles delivered (+6.0%). The growth in sales is spread throughout the brand’s model range. For example, in the first three months of the year, sales of the BMW 2 Series grew 56.3% compared with the same period last year, totalling 43,657 units. Sales of the BMW X1 are up 67.7% on the first quarter of last year, with total sales of 51,002 units. The X3 achieved a sales increase of 27.2% (38,719 units) while sales of the X6 rose 15.1% (11,043 units). The brand’s flagship model, the new BMW 7 Series, was handed over to a total of 10,588 customers in the first three months of 2016, an increase of 20.3% on the same period last year.

A total of 5,128 BMW i electric vehicles have been delivered to customers worldwide in the year-to-date, with 2,255 of those delivered in March.

MINI sales were higher in March 2016 than in any previous single month in the brand’s history. A total of 39,061 units were delivered to customers worldwide, an increase of 6.6% compared with the same month last year. In the first quarter of 2016, MINI sales also achieved a new record high with 78,311 units delivered, an increase of 5.4% on last year. “Customers around the world are responding to the attractive new models we have in our line-up, as is proven by our record sales,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG Management Board member responsible for MINI, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce. “The recently launched MINI Clubman in particular is attracting new customers, with a total of over 12,000 sold so far this year,” he added.

Following the second highest annual sales record in the brand’s 112-year history in 2015, during the first quarter of 2016 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars focused on the substantial preparations for the start of production of the new Dawn Drophead Coupe?. First customer deliveries of Dawn will take place in the second quarter, with pre-orders breaking all previous records. During the first three months of the year, 551 Rolls-Royce motor cars were delivered to customers, a decrease of 29.4% compared with the same period last year. The high demand for Dawn has necessitated a rebalancing of production assets within Rolls-Royce’s Goodwood- based manufacturing plant, impacting on Q1 production capacity. Rolls-Royce continues to strive for long-term sustainable growth.

BMW and MINI saw their positive sales trend in Europe continue, with deliveries in the first three months totalling 256,973 units, an increase of 9.5% compared with the first quarter of last year. Many markets in the region achieved sales growth, with double-digit increases recorded in several markets including the UK (59,121 / +10.6%), France (20,811 / +10.7%) and Spain (13,839 / +22.7%).

Deliveries of BMW and MINI vehicles in Asia increased by 10.0% compared with the first quarter of last year, with a total of 182,982 units delivered to customers in the region. In Mainland China, deliveries rose 10.5% (127,105), sales in South Korea increased 15.0% (14,465) and deliveries in Japan climbed 8.9% (18,668).

In the Americas, year-to-date sales of BMW and MINI vehicles are down 8.6%, with a total of 100,081 units delivered to customers. While sales totalling 81,452 in the USA were 10.8% down on the same period last year, deliveries in Canada rose 10.9% (8,751).

March was also an all-time record month for BMW Motorrad, with deliveries up 3.5% (16,465). Around the world, a total of 33,788 BMW motorcycles and maxi- scooters have been delivered to customers so far in 2016 (+7.7%).

BMW Group sales in / ytd March 2016 at a glance