BMW Group reports best May sales ever

Munich. BMW Group sales recorded solid growth once again in May. With 156,957 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles delivered worldwide (prev. yr. 147,565 / +6.4%), the BMW Group achieved its best-ever May sales result. A total of 728,029 (prev. yr. 667,523 / +9.1%) vehicles have been delivered to customers since the start of the year, exceeding the previous year’s first five months by more than 60,000 units.

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management, Sales and Marketing BMW, said in Munich on Monday, “Our vehicle portfolio continues to be in strong demand and once again we achieved record sales in the month of May. Exceptional new products such as the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé, which we launched on the 1st of June, as well as the new BMW 7 Series, will continue to drive momentum. We are well on our way to achieving a new all-time high for sales in the year 2012.”

The BMW Group made strong gains in Asia in the month under review with 41,289 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 32,839 / +25.7%). Mainland China accounted for 27,815 deliveries, an increase of 31.5% over the same month last year (prev. yr. 21,150). Year-to-date, 135,026 BMW and MINI vehicles have been sold in Mainland China (prev. yr. 100,456/ +34.4%).

Gains were solid across America with 35,127 vehicles delivered in May (prev. yr. 33,266 / +5.6%). In the U.S., 28,321 vehicles were delivered last month, an increase of +7.1% over the same month last year (prev. yr. 26,452). Year-to-date, the BMW Group is up 12.2% on sales of 130,843 in the first five months of 2012 compared to 116,656 in the same period in 2011.

In Europe, sales remained at the previous year’s level, with 75,374 units sold (prev. yr. 76,668/ -1.7%). Several markets in northern and central Europe experienced robust growth in May, for example the U.K. (13,438/ +8.9%), the Netherlands (2,500/ +33.8%), and Austria (2,137/ +10.5%). In Germany, a total of 27,796 new BMW and MINI vehicles were registered in May. (prev. yr. 29,350/ -5.3%). The BMW brand accounted for 24,116 registrations (prev. yr. 24,768/ -2.6%) and MINI for 3,680 registrations (prev. yr. 4,582/ -19.7%). Year-to-date, 121, 202 BMW and MINI vehicles have been registered in Germany, an increase of +1.1% (prev. yr. 119,873).

BMW: Worldwide sales of BMW brand vehicles climbed to 129,150 units (prev. yr. 121,170 / +6.6%) in the month under review. A total of 607,207 BMW brand vehicles (prev. yr. 555,440) have been delivered to customers worldwide since the start of the year – an increase of +9.3%. Demand for the BMW 1 Series 5-door Hatch remains strong with 14,748 vehicles delivered in May, an increase of 59.4% over the same month last year. The 3-door version of the BMW 1 Series Hatch will be launched in September, along with the new BMW 3 Series Touring. The BMW 3 Series Sedan continued to reported healthy gains in May with a total of 22,385 vehicles delivered to customers, an increase of 12.3% compared to last year (prev. yr. 19,931). Sales of the BMW X3 continued to climb, with 12,563 units sold in May, an increase of 23.4% over the previous year (10,181). The BMW 5 Series also reported strong gains in May with 32.236 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 26,457/ +21.8%) and continues to command its segment. Growth was further driven by the BMW 6 Series which was delivered to 2,011 customers worldwide in May (prev. yr. 846/ +137.7%).

MINI: Worldwide sales for MINI climbed 5.5% to 27,527 vehicles in the month under review (prev. yr 26.104). MINI had an excellent month in parts of Asia, such as China (2,315/ +40.3%) and Japan (1,330/ +25.5%), as well as in its largest market, the U.S. (6,153/ +6.1%). Year-to-date, MINI sales are up +7.9% with 119,532 units compared to 110,803 in the first five months of 2011.

Motorcycles: In the first five months of 2012, BMW Motorrad sold 48,918 (prev. yr. 48,749) vehicles. This represents a growth of +0.3% compared to the same period in 2011. Sales for the month of May fell by 8.8% to a level below that of the previous year - a total of 11,457 motorcycles (prev. yr. 12,568) were delivered to customers.

Husqvarna Motorcycles recorded a rise in deliveries for the fifth month in a row. Year-to-date, Husqvarna delivered 4,420 motorcycles (prev. yr. 3,080 units), an increase of +43.5 %. In May, 860 vehicles (prev. yr. 537 units) were delivered to the Husqvarna dealership network, +60.1 % more than in the same month of the previous year.

BMW Group sales in/up to May 2012 at a glance

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about 1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2011 was euro 7.38 billion on revenues amounting to euro 68.82 billion. At 31 December 2011, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last seven years.

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