BMW Group Records Best Sales Ever in July

- Sales increase by 7.6% to 163,959 vehicles

- Year-to-date deliveries rise 7.0% totalling 1,184,170

- Over one million BMW brand vehicles sold in first seven months

MUNICH, Aug. 8, 2014 /CNW/ - Sales of BMW Group vehicles achieved a new high for the month of July with a total of 163,959 vehicles delivered worldwide, an increase of 7.6% over the same month last year (prev. yr. 152,351). Global sales for the year-to-date are also the best ever with 1,184,170 vehicles delivered to customers in the first seven months of the year (prev. yr. 1,106,852 / +7.0%).

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140808/700690 )

"We are pleased to see the excellent sales results of the first half-year continuing into July," said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management BMW AG, Sales and Marketing BMW. "Our focus is on ensuring our sales remain balanced worldwide and we are confident that our strong vehicle line-up will enable us to achieve this. The success of our new vehicles such as the BMW X4, which went on sale in July, demonstrates that we are providing our customers with what they want." Summing up the global sales situation and looking ahead to the rest of 2014, Robertson added, "We are confident that our positive sales momentum will continue, ensuring we will sell more than two million cars this year with a clear focus on profitable growth."

Global sales of BMW brand vehicles rose 8.4% to 139,399 units in July (prev. yr. 128,596), bringing the year-to-date total to 1,025,747 - it's the first time the brand has sold over a million vehicles this early in the year (prev. yr. 932,823 / +10.0%). Many model segments show steady rates of growth. Deliveries of the top-selling BMW 3 Series rose to 271,720 in the year-to-date (prev. yr. 255,745 / +6.2%) and the newly introduced BMW 4 Series posted sales of 57,524 units in the same period. Sales of the BMW 5 Series rose by 7.4% in the first seven months of the year, with a total of 223,587 cars delivered (prev. yr. 208,093). Sales of the X family continue to grow: July saw the first customer deliveries of the all-new BMW X4 and a total of 1,296 were sold in its first month with customer demand for the vehicle high. The spectacular growth in sales of the BMW X5 continues with sales in the year-to-date climbing 31.4% to 79,537 (prev. yr. 60,544).

One year after the international premiere of the all-electric BMW i3, sales of the megacity vehicle rose to 6,620 in the year-to-date.

MINI sales figures are above last year's level, making it the brand's best July ever. A total of 24,259 vehicles were delivered to customers worldwide (prev. yr. 23,515 / +3.2%) and this positive trend is expected to continue in the second half of the year. Sales of the new third-generation MINI Hatch, the brand's core model, are up 22.3% compared to the same month last year with a total of 11,970 delivered in July (prev. yr. 9,785). In the year-to-date, a total of 156,154 MINIs were sold (prev. yr. 172,314 / -9.4%).

BMW Motorrad achieved the best July result to date, with 11,661 motorcycles and maxi-scooters delivered (prev. yr. 11,241 / +3.7%). Year-to-date, 82,639 vehicles were sold, a solid growth of 8.5% over the same period last year (76,182).

The BMW Group made gains on all continents  

In Asia, the company delivered 373,594 BMW and MINI brand vehicles in the first seven months of the year, an increase of 17.2% compared to July last year (prev. yr. 318,821). Strong double-digit growth continues to be recorded in mainland China, where sales for the year-to-date are up 21.8% to a total of 261,919 vehicles (prev. yr. 214,994). Another market in the region showing particularly strong growth is South Korea, where deliveries for the same period totalled 25,736 vehicles (prev. yr. 22,053 / +16.7%).

Sales of BMW and MINI vehicles continued to grow steadily in the Americas. Year-to-date, the region posted a sales plus of 3.6% with a total of 259,658 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 250,517). In the USA, sales for the first seven months of the year totalled 213,754 vehicles, an increase of 5.4% on the same period in 2013 (prev. yr. 202,780).

In Europe, BMW Group sales grew 2.8% since the beginning of the year, with 513,707 BMW and MINI vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 499,902). July saw solid growth in Great Britain - the company's fourth largest market - where sales increased 9.3% (12,920 / prev. yr. 11,825). Year-to-date, sales increased 2.5% to a total of 111,261 vehicles (prev. yr. 108,578). The home market in Germany grew strongly in July, where registrations of BMW and MINI vehicles increased 8.7% to 23,646 vehicles.

BMW Group sales in/up to July 2014 at a glance 

	July 2014	Compared to previous year	Year-to-date	Compared to previous year
BMW Group Automobiles	163,959	+7.6%	1,184,170	+7.0%
BMW	139,399	+8.4%	1,025,747	+10.0%
MINI	24,259	+3.2%	156,154	-9.4%
BMW Motorrad	11,661	+3.7%	82,639	+8.5%

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 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 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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