BMW Group Increases Sales by 13.2% in October

MUNICH, Nov. 9, 2012 /CNW/ -

	Best October ever with 157,618 BMW Group vehicles delivered
	BMW brand sales volume up 15.4%
	Robertson: We aim to continue the momentum

The BMW Group's sales growth was once again in the double-digit range in October. A total of 157,618 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers, an increase of 13.2% compared to the same month in the previous year (139,284) and a new record high for the month. For the year to the end of October, sales volumes climbed to 1,493,153 units, an increase of 8.8% compared to the same period in 2011 (1,371,903) and a new all time high for the company.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121109/573659 )

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW: "Following a record third quarter, the BMW Group posted its highest ever sales for the month of October. We achieved solid gains in many of our markets last month, especially in Asia and the Americas and we aim to continue the momentum in the next months. We are well on course to achieve a new sales record in 2012, despite the headwind present in some European markets."

In Asia, BMW Group sales surged by 36.5% in October to 41,028 vehicles (prev. yr. 30,067). The company made strong gains in Asia in the first ten months of the year, with sales climbing by 28.1% to 398,870 vehicles (prev. yr. 311,290). Mainland China accounted for 27,828 deliveries in October, an increase of 51.7% over the same month in the previous year (18,346). The substantial gains can be attributed to the current ramp-up of the locally-produced BMW X1 and BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase, as well as the year-on-year effect due to the run-out of the BMW 3 Series at the end of last year. Year-to-date, 264,884 BMW and MINI vehicles have been sold in Mainland China (prev. yr. 195,868), which reflects an increase of 35.2%.

In the Americas, the BMW Group also experienced strong growth in October with 39,154 vehicles delivered, an increase of 20.0% on the previous year (32,626). Since the beginning of the year, 330,042 vehicles were delivered to customers in the Americas (prev. yr. 306,190/ +7.8%). In the U.S., BMW Group sales climbed 18.5% in October to 32,339 vehicles (prev. yr. 27,288). Year-to-date, the BMW Group is up 8.4% on sales of 267,267 vehicles in the first ten months of 2012 compared to 246,602 in the same period in 2011.

In Europe, the BMW Group delivered 71,368 vehicles last month (prev. yr. 71,587/-0.3%). For the period from January to October, BMW Group sales remained at around last year's level, with a total of 711,197 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 706,600/ +0.7%).

BMW brand worldwide sales increased by 15.4% in October to 132,823 vehicles (prev. yr. 115,141). Demand for the BMW 1 Series remained strong, with sales climbing 36.3% to 19,986 units (prev. yr. 14,668). Solid gains were also achieved by the BMW 3 Series, with 37,123 vehicles delivered last month (prev. yr. 31,768/ +16.9%). Sales of the BMW 5 Series increased by 0.1% to 26,404 vehicles (prev. yr. 26,371). The BMW X1 continued its momentum with sales jumping by 38.4% to 14,090 vehicles (prev. yr. 10,178). Sales for the BMW X3 continued to be strong with 12,668 units delivered (prev. yr. 10,951/ +15.7%).

BMW vehicles in the upper segment also performed well: 2,113 units of the BMW 6 Series were sold, an increase of 83.3% on the previous year (1,153); sales of the BMW X5 increased by 16.4% to 9,630 units (prev. yr. 8,273) and sales of the BMW X6 climbed by 24.4% to 3,794 units (prev. yr. 3,050). From January to October, 1,242,817 BMW brand vehicles were delivered, which was 9.3% higher than for the same period in the previous year (1,137,096).

MINI delivered 24,483 vehicles worldwide in October (prev. yr. 23,842), which was a slight increase of 2.7%. MINI saw sales increase by 8.7% to 5,888 units in its largest market, the U.S. (prev. yr. 5,415) and by 32.3% to 1,648 (prev. yr. 1,246) units in its fourth largest market, Mainland China. Sales for MINI have increased by 6.7% to 247,698 vehicles in the first ten months of 2012 (prev. yr. 232,065).

BMW Motorrad delivered 7,596 units in October (prev. yr.: 7,050 / +7.7%). Supplies of motorcycles and maxi scooters from January up to and including October totaled 93,540 units (prev. yr.: 93,942 / -0.4%). Husqvarna Motorcycles supplied a total of 8,329 vehicles (prev. yr.: 6,775 / +22.9%) to the Husqvarna dealer network from January up to and including October. Supplies in the month of October totaled 973 vehicles (prev. yr.: 675 / +44.1%).

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

	In Oct	Comp. to	Up to/incl.	Comp. to
	2012	previous	Oct 2012	previous
		year		year
BMW Group Automobiles	157,618	+13.2%	1,493,153	+8.8%
BMW	132,823	+15.4%	1,242,817	+9.3%
MINI	24,483	+2.7%	247,698	+6.7%
BMW Motorrad	7.596	7.7%	93.540	-0.4%
Husqvarna Motorcycles	973	+44.1%	8.329	+22.9%

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 eight years.

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