BMW Group Sales Continue to Grow in April

MUNICH, May 12, 2015 /CNW/ -

• Total of 175,972 vehicles delivered, up 8.4%
• Best-ever BMW year-to-date sales: over 600,000 vehicles sold
• MINI sells over 100,000 in first four months: new record
• BMW Motorrad achieves best ever month
• Sales growth balanced around the world

April saw the steady growth in sales of BMW Group vehicles continue with BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad all achieving new records. In April, a total of 175,972 BMW Group vehicles were delivered to customers around the world, an increase of 8.4% on the same month last year. This continuing solid growth is reflected in the year-to-date figures, with a total of 702,643 BMW Group vehicles sold in the first four months of 2015, 8.2% more than in the same period last year.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150512/743772 )

"Following on from our best ever first quarter, April has seen further sales growth in all regions around the world," said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW. "We are succeeding in our aim to expand sales in a balanced way globally and I'm certain that the exciting new models we're bringing to the market in 2015 will ensure this positive trend continues," Robertson added.

It was the best April ever for the BMW brand with a total of 148,896 vehicles delivered to customers in April, 5.6% more than in the same month last year. The year-to-date figures also set a new record for the brand with sales in the first four months totalling 600,473, an increase of 5.5% compared to the same period last year.

Sales of the new BMW 2 Series were strong in April with a total of 10,439 units sold in the month. Once again, the new 2 Series Active Tourer accounted for around two-thirds of those sales with a total of 6,548 delivered to customers. Demand for the BMW 4 Series also remained high with 12,696 vehicles sold in April. Meanwhile the success of the BMW X family continues with sales of the third-generation BMW X5 climbing 8.9% year-on-year - a total of 12,774 units were delivered to customers in April. The BMW X6 saw April sales jump 28.5% compared to the same month last year with 3,633 customer deliveries. April saw 1,687 customers around the world take delivery of an innovative BMW i vehicle.

MINI also achieved record sales in April with customer deliveries totalling 26,766, an increase of 27.8% on the same month last year. Following the model change a year ago, full availability of the core 3 and 5 door models mean that sales for the first four months are significantly up on last year with a total of 101,079 vehicles delivered, an increase of 28.3%. It's the first time MINI has sold more than 100,000 cars in the first four months of the year. A total of 9,578 customers took delivery of a MINI 3 door in April (+30.3%) while sales of the new MINI 5 door reached 7,814 in the month.

All BMW Group sales regions saw deliveries increase both in April and year-to-date, in line with the company's stated policy to strive for globally balanced growth.

Sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in Europe increased by 8.7% in April with 75,928 deliveries made to customers. The first four months saw sales grow 9.4% to total 310,588. Solid growth was achieved in many European markets in April. Deliveries of BMW and MINI vehicles in Great Britain rose 8.4% in April to 14,774 while sales in southern Europe continue their recovery; customer deliveries in Spain, for example, were up 11.7% to a total of 3,549.

April was also a successful month in the Americas, where customer deliveries of BMW and MINI vehicles increased 12.1% to a total of 40,609. Year-to-date sales climbed 10.5% with a total of 150,119 units delivered. North America is the region's biggest growth driver with April deliveries totalling 32,428 in the USA (+9.6%) and Canada seeing sales jump 39.7% compared to the same month last year, with a total of 4,177 new BMW and MINIs delivered to customers.

Deliveries of BMW and MINI vehicles in Asia increased by 5.9% to total 54,469. In the first four months of the year, 220,799 vehicles were delivered to customers in the region, an increase of 5.4% compared with the same period last year. April sales in Mainland China achieved the same high level as last year with a total of 37,976 vehicles delivered to customers (+0.6%) while sales in South Korea rose 23.6% to total 4,340.

Following a record first quarter, BMW Motorrad continues to grow its sales. Around the world, a record 16,554 motorcycles and maxi-scooters were delivered to customers in April, an increase of 1.3% on last year. That makes it the most successful month in BMW Motorrad's history. In the first four months of the year, sales rose 6.3% to a total of 47,924 units. The sales growth is being driven by high demand for the new models launched in 2014 and 2015.

BMW Group sales in/up to April 2015 at a glance 

				Compared with	Cumulative to	Compared with
			In April
			2015	previous year	April 2015	previous year
BMW Group
Automobiles			175,972	+8.4%	702,643	+8.2%
BMW			148,896	+5.6%	600,473	+5.5%
MINI			26,766	+27.8%	101,079	+28.3%
BMW Motorrad			16,554	+1.3%	47,924	+6.3%

The BMW Group

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world's leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2014, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.118 million cars and 123,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2014 was approximately EUR 8.71 billion on revenues amounting to EUR 80.40 billion. As of 31 December 2014, the BMW Group had a workforce of 116,324 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based 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.

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SOURCE BMW Group

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