BMW Group Canada achieves best April ever

BMW Group Canada reports 35% increase in April sales.

RICHMOND HILL, ON, May 3 /CNW/ - BMW Group Canada (BMW and MINI brands combined) reported retail sales of 3,092 units in April, up 35% over the same period last year. Year-to-date, BMW Group Canada reported sales of 8,682 units, representing a 31% increase over the same period last year.

BMW Brand: BMW posts record April with 39% increase.

The BMW brand set an April sales record with 2,681 units sold, an increase of 39% over April 2009. The top-selling model continues to be the 3 Series, followed by the X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles. Year-to-date, the BMW brand reported retail sales are 7,597 units, an increase of 33% over last year.

BMW's xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system retains popularity with 69% of April BMW retails equipped with xDrive.

Sales of the diesel-powered BMW X5 xDrive35d Sports Activity Vehicle continue to grow, representing 42% of total X5 sales volume in April.

BMW Pre-owned.

BMW pre-owned reported 1,087 retails in April, a slight decline of 2% compared to April, 2009. Year-to-date BMW pre-owned retails have increased 10% over the same period last year. BMW Certified Series accounted for 837 of the BMW pre-owned sales in April.

MINI Brand: MINI continues momentum in April.

MINI brand sales of 411 units in April represent an increase of 12% over April 2009. MINI year-to-date sales total 1,085 units, a 19% increase compared to the same period last year.

MINI Pre-owned achieves all time record in April.

MINI's pre-owned monthly sales of 137 units represents an increase of more than 110% compared to April 2009, of which 87 units are MINI NEXTpre-owned vehicles. Year-to-date MINI pre-owned sales increased 51.6% over 2009.

BMW Motorrad.

BMW Motorrad Canada retails in April were 327 units, reflecting a decrease of 8.4% over the same period in 2009. BMW Motorrad YTD retails of 651 units represent an increase of 9.8% over last year.

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 approximately 1.29 million automobiles and over 87,000 motorcycles for the 2009 financial year. The pre-tax profit for 2009 was euro 413 million, revenues totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31 December 2009, the company employed a global workforce of approximately 96,000 associates.

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 26 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

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