BMW Canada November Sales up 11 per cent

Certified Pre-Owned and MINI NEXT sales show best November on record.

WHITBY, ON, Dec. 2 /CNW/ - BMW Group Canada (BMW and MINI Brands combined) reported November sales of 2,429 vehicles, an increase of 11 per cent compared to November 2008 . Year-to-date sales for BMW Group Canada are 26,830 units, up 3 per cent compared to the same period last year.

BMW Brand: November Sales up 14%.

The BMW brand retailed 2,083 units, an increase of 14 per cent over November 2008 . Year-to-date, 22,876 BMWs have been retailed, an increase in sales of 6 per cent from last year's same period.

The success of the BMW X3 and X5 models, as we head into the winter months, are piloting the sales increase. BMW X3 sales showed an increase of 58 per cent and BMW X5 sales increased by 46% compared to the month of November in the previous year.

Another notable performer this year is the 7 Series. With the introduction of the new generation year-to-date sales are boosted a dramatic 51 per cent compared to the same period in 2008.

BMW Pre-Owned: Best November on record.

The BMW Pre-Owned division experienced the best November sales on record. There were 783 units retailed in November, up 3.3 per cent over November 2008 . With 9,868 units sold year-to-date, total pre-owned sales are up 15.8 percent over the same period last year.

BMW Motorrad: Year-to-date motorcycle sales up 7.2 per cent.

BMW Motorrad Canada sold 37 units in November, down 38.3 per cent over November 2008 . Year-to-date results are encouraging as Motorrad retail figures hit 1,764 a 7.2 per cent increase over the same period last year.

MINI Brand.

November sales indicate 346 units sold this past month, down 12 units from November 2008 sales, a decrease in sales of 3 per cent. MINI year-to-date sales were 3,954 a 14 per cent decline from sales numbers from the same period in 2008.

MINI NEXT: Best November on record.

A strong performance by MINI NEXT Certified Pre-Owned brings vehicle sales up by 16.4 per cent over November 2008 . Total year-to-date MINI NEXT pre-owned sales totaled 715 units, a 17 per cent decrease compared to the same period in 2008.

The BMW Group

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 September 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.

BMW Group Canada , based in Whitby, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI. BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 40 BMW automobile retail centres, 19 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 25 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

For further information: Jochen Frey, Director, Corporate Communications, BMW Group Canada, Office - [phone], Cell - [phone], [email protected]