BMW Group Sales in May Continue Record Year

- Total of 177,741 vehicles delivered in May, increase of 6.8%

- Year-to-date sales up 7.4% to 826,865

- BMW 5 Series continues to lead its segment with rise of 10.6% in May

MUNICH, June 10, 2014 /CNW/ - Deliveries of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles increased 6.8% to total 177,741 in the last month, making it the best May ever (prev. yr. 166,381). A new sales record was also reached in the year-to-date with a total of 826,865 vehicles delivered in the first five months of the year (prev. yr. 770,012 / +7.4%).

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140610/690619 )

"The BMW Group continued to achieve record sales in May, keeping us well on track to sell over two million vehicles in 2014," said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW. "Customer demand in the USA is showing solid growth, as is the Americas region as a whole, whilst Asia continues to be strong. Sales this year in Europe are also showing some signs of recovery," Robertson added.

Sales of BMW brand vehicles rose 10.0% in May with a total of 153,023 vehicles being delivered to customers (prev. yr. 139,142). Sales for the year-to-date climbed 10.9% to 722,129 (prev. yr. 651,152).

The new BMW 2 Series, which has been on sale since March, continued its strong start with sales-to-date reaching 7,842. Sales of the BMW 3 Series show continued growth with a total of 193,866 sold in the year-to-date (prev. yr. 189,830 / +2.1%).

The BMW 4 Series, which was launched on the market last October, reached a total of 35,253 units delivered in the first five months of the year. Customer demand for the BMW 5 Series, which continues to lead its segment worldwide, jumped 10.6% in May (33,213 / prev. yr. 30,027) with sales so far this year up 5.5% to total 155,733 (prev. yr. 147,551). The BMW 6 Series also recorded a solid rise in sales in the year-to-date with 11,812 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 10,765 / +9.7%).

Customer demand for the BMW X models continues to show solid growth. Sales of the BMW X1 increased by 4.9% in the first five months of the year with 67,391 units sold (prev. yr. 64,235), whilst the BMW X3 saw a 10.5% increase in demand (69,115 / prev. yr. 62,545). The BMW X5, which founded the Sports Activity Vehicle segment in 1999, continues to be very popular with customers. Sales of the third generation of the X5, which has been on the market since November 2013, climbed 62.5% in May, with a total of 12,382 units delivered to customers (prev. yr. 7,619), bringing the year-to-date sales to a total of 55,136 (prev. yr. 43,002 / +28.2%).

Sales of the BMW i3 continue to be positive with a total of 4,154 delivered in the first five months of 2014.

In May, 24,373 MINIs were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 26,958 / -9.6%). Year-to-date sales decreased 12.4% with a total of 103,158 units delivered (prev. yr. 117,697). This decrease in sales is in line with expectations and is due to the recent model change in the core MINI Hatch model. Customer interest in the new MINI is strong and this is expected to be reflected in the retail figures from summer onwards.

Continuing its strategy of balanced sales growth worldwide, the BMW Group increased sales in all three major sales regions in the first five months of 2014.

Asia saw deliveries of BMW and MINI models increase by 19.7% to 264,094 vehicles (prev. yr. 220,576) in the year-to-date. In mainland China, sales rose 24.6% to 184,823 (prev. yr. 148,319). Sales continue to show double-digit growth in South Korea, where 18,221 vehicles were delivered in the first five months of the year (prev. yr. 15,330 / +18.9%). In the year-to-date, Japan saw growth of 7.2% (25,210 / prev. yr. 23,517).

A total of 178,126 BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers in the Americas in the year-to-date (prev. yr. 171,636 / +3.8%). In the USA, sales in the first five months of 2014 rose 4.9%, with a total of 145,957 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 139,142). In Brazil, 6,979 vehicles were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 6,013 / +16.1%) and sales in Mexico rose 6.7% to 5.620 (prev. yr. 5,269).

The gradual recovery of the European market continues with a total of 358,949 BMW and MINI models delivered in the first five months of the year (prev. yr. 351,997 / +2.0%). Scandinavia continues to show significant growth in the year-to-date, climbing 16.9% to 17,816 vehicles (prev. yr. 15,235). Double-digit growth was also recorded in Spain, where sales to the end of May rose 11.8% with a total of 16,679 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 14,917).

BMW Motorrad's stable growth continues for a fifth consecutive month. In May, 14,088 motorcyles and maxi-scooters were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 13,081 / +7.7%), making it BMW Motorrad's best May ever. In the first five months of the year, sales grew 12.9%, totalling 59,151 (prev. yr. 52,400).

BMW Group sales in May 2014 at a glance 

		Compared with	Up to/including	Compared with
	In May 2014	previous year	May 2014	previous year
BMW Group Automobiles	177,741	+6.8%	826,865	+7.4%
BMW	153,023	10.0%	722,129	+10.9%
MINI	24, 373	-9.6%	103,158	-12.4%
BMW Motorrad	14,088	+7.7%	59,151	+12.9%

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 28 production and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2013, the BMW Group sold approximately 1.963 million cars and 115,215 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2013 was EUR 7.91 billion on revenues amounting to approximately EUR 76.06 billion. As of 31 December 2013, the BMW Group had a workforce of 110,351 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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