BMW Group retail grows 11.5% in November

BMW sales 11.1% higher; MINI volumes up 13.8%

Successful start for BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo and BMW X1 

Munich. BMW Group sales continued their upward trend in November. Overall, the company delivered 11.5% more vehicles than in the same month last year at 107,686 (prev. yr. 96,609) units. Since the start of the year, 1,162,510 (prev. yr. 1,323,453 / -12.2%) BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce have been sold worldwide.

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing: “Since September, sales have been back on the growth track. In November we achieved another substantial increase in our global deliveries. We intend to continue this trend in December.”

In the month under review, sales of BMW brand automobiles rose to 90,383 units (prev. yr. 81,386 / +11.1%). A total of 963,712 (prev. yr. 1,104,983 / -12.8%) BMW vehicles were sold in the year to the end of November. Almost all BMW model series made gains. In November the strongest growth came from the BMW Z4, with an increase of 149.3% (1,760 / prev. yr. 706), and the BMW 7 Series, with gains of 57.1% (5,025 / prev. yr. 3,198). The BMW 1 Series saw growth of 11.7% (16,614 / prev. yr. 14,877), while the BMW 3 Series and the 5 Series reported gains of 3.4% (32,230 / prev. yr. 31,168) and 3.7% (14,164 / 13,665) respectively. In November growth was also driven by the X5 and X6 models, which registered total sales of 11,515 units (+3.6% / prev. yr. 11,120). The new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo and BMW X1 models introduced in late October are being very well received by customers – new orders for both are well above plan. No less than 2,940 BMW X1 and 1,110 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo were already delivered to customers in November.

MINI brand volumes were also considerably higher in November. With sales of 17,199 (prev. yr. 15,113) vehicles, deliveries rose 13.8%. For the year to the end of November a total of 198,163 (prev. yr. 217,415 / -8.9%) MINI cars were sold. In the past month Rolls-Royce delivered 104 automobiles (prev. yr. 110 / -5.5%). Between January and November 635 (prev. yr. 1,055 / -39.8%) of the brand’s vehicles were delivered to customers around the world.

With gains in Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa the BMW Group was able to improve its sales figures on almost all continents in the month under review.

In Europe 63,999 vehicles were sold (prev. yr. 57,187 / +11.9%), the majority – 59,698 units – in the major established markets of Western Europe (prev. yr. 53,972 / +10.6%). However, in Eastern Europe, also, all signs pointed to growth in November, with a total of 3,291 (prev. yr. 2,868 / +14.7%) deliveries.

In the Asian region, 33.3% more vehicles were sold in the past month (16,030 / prev. yr.  12,030). The trend in Asia’s largest market, China, remained extremely positive, with sales climbing 39.7% to 8,470 vehicles (prev. yr. 6,062). In Japan, Asia’s second biggest market, the BMW Group sold 2,885 units (prev. yr. 2,788 / +3.5%). But there were also welcome gains in many smaller Asian markets. For instance, in November sales increased 140% (103 units) in Indonesia, 139% (980) in South Korea, 136.8% (315) in Malaysia, 94.1% (295) in Thailand and 57.1% (256) in India.

In Oceania the company sold 28.4% more vehicles, with 2,051 (prev. yr. 1,597) deliveries in the month under review.

The BMW Group was also able to increase sales in Africa (+10.3% / 2,125 deliveries). South Africa, in particular, was once again the continent’s number one volume market with sales of 1,583 units (prev. yr. 1,450 / +9.2%).

With 15,708 (prev. yr. 15,217) deliveries, the BMW brand achieved a 3.2% increase in the month under review in the USA, whereas the MINI brand, with 2,564 (prev. yr. 4,545) deliveries, experienced a decrease of 43.6%. As a result, in the USA the level of sales for the BMW Group was down by 7.5% (18,272 / prev. yr. 19,762) compared to November 2008. However, the South American markets maintained their strong growth trend last month. For instance, deliveries in Brazil climbed 415.5% to 897 (prev. yr. 174) and Argentina reported an increase in sales of 37.6% to 249 (prev. yr. 181) units. Overall, the BMW Group reported a decrease in sales of 1.3% in the American markets (23,345 / prev. yr. 23,653) last month.

BMW Motorcycles sold 5,503 (prev. yr. 5,773 / -4.7%) motorcycles worldwide in November. For the year to the end of November, 81,946 (prev. yr. 94,237 / -13.0%) motorcycles were delivered to customers.

BMW Group sales in/up to November 2009 at a glance

In Nov. 2009

Comp. to previous year

Up to and incl. Nov. 2009

Comp. to previous year

BMW Group Automobiles

107,686

+11.5%

1.162,510

       -12.2%

BMW

90,383

+11.1%

963,712

       -12.8%

MINI

17,199

+13.8%

198,163

         -8.9%

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

104

-5.5%

635

       -39.8%

BMW Motorcycles

5,503

-4.7%

81,946

       -13.0%

If you have any queries, please contact:

Corporate and Governmental Affairs

Markus Sagemann, Business Communications

Telephone: +49 89 382-68796, Fax: +49 89 382-24418

Marc Hassinger, Business and Financial Communications

Telephone: +49 89 382-23362, Fax: +49 89 382-24418

Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com

Email: presse@bmwgroup.com

² ² ²

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24 production facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

The BMW Group achieved a global sales volume of more than 1.43 million automobiles and over 101,000 motorcycles for the 2008 financial year. Revenues for 2008 totalled EUR 53.2 billion, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of EUR 921 million. The company employed a global workforce of approximately 98,000 associates on 30 June 2009.

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 five years.