BMW Group reports highest ever September sales

• 177,716 vehicles sold worldwide in September, an increase of 11.6%
• 2,331 vehicles sold in South Africa in September, an increase of 0,3%
• BMW brand worldwide sales climb by 14.3%
• Robertson: Well on course to achieve new sales record in 2012

Munich. The BMW Group experienced growth in many regions around the world in September and achieved another record month in sales. With 177,716 (prev. yr. 159,223) BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles delivered worldwide, sales were 11.6% higher than in the same month last year. It was also the best first nine months for the company, with sales up 8.3% compared to the same period last year. A total of 1,335,502 BMW Group vehicles were delivered during this time (prev. yr. 1,232,619).

In South Africa, the BMW Group sold 2,331 vehicles in September (+0,3%, prev. yr. 2,324). To date, BMW South Africa has delivered a total of 21,464 vehicles to customers, an increase of 10%, compared to the same period in 2011.

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW: “We made solid gains in many of our markets last month and were once again able to achieve record sales in September, despite the difficult environment in some European countries. Our models continue to perform well and we expect to see further healthy growth in worldwide sales in the fourth quarter. We are well on course to achieving a new sales record for the whole year.”

BMW brand worldwide sales climbed by 14.3% to 146,843 vehicles in the month under review (prev. yr. 128,450). Demand for the BMW 1 Series was strong with 23,583 vehicles sold last month, an increase of 51.1% on the previous year (15,606). Over 150.000 units of the second generation BMW 1 Series 5-Door Hatch have been delivered to customers since its launch in mid-September last year. The BMW 3 Series achieved sales of 39,302 vehicles last month (prev. yr. 35,842/ +9.7%). Sales for the BMW 5 Series climbed 7.9% to 29,996 vehicles (prev. yr. 27,804). The BMW 6 Series more than tripled its sales with 2,426 vehicles delivered last month (prev. yr. 752/ +222.6%). The BMW X1 performed strongly with 16,661 units sold in September, an increase of 32.9% (prev. yr. 12,536). Sales of the BMW X3 continued to be strong, climbing 20.0% to 13,616 vehicles (prev. yr. 11,346). Year-to-date, the brand BMW has delivered 1,109,962 vehicles, an increase of 8.6% over the previous year (1,021,955).

In South Africa, the BMW brand sales also increased by 0,3% in September to 2,121(prev. yr. 2,115). To date, 19,468  BMW vehicles have been delivered to local customers, 10,4% more than the same period last year (17, 633). Demand for the new BMW 3 Series Sedan continues to grow with 1,193 vehicles delivered to customers last month. Other best-selling BMW models in South Africa during September 2012 were the BMW 1 Series 5-door, BMW X1, BMW X3, BMW X5 and the BMW 5 Series Sedan.

MINI posted its best ever September sales with 30,562 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 30,392/ +0.6%). The brand has also had its most successful first nine months ever – in the period up to and including September, MINI sold 223,214 vehicles, an increase of 7.2% in worldwide sales compared to the same period last year (208,223). Last month at the Paris Auto Salon, the company unveiled the MINI Paceman. The MINI Paceman is the world’s first Sports Activity Coupe in the premium compact segment and it expands the brand’s portfolio to seven models. The MINI Paceman is expected to provide further momentum for MINI when it arrives in the first half of 2013.

Locally, MINI brand sales increased by 0,5% in September 2012 to 210 vehicles (prev. yr. 209). To date, 1,996 MINI vehicles have been delivered to customers locally – an increase of 5,9% compared to the same period in 2011 (1,884).

Demand for Rolls-Royce motor cars remained steady with a small decrease of 4.7% year-to-date compared to 2011. The worldwide market introduction of Phantom Series II in September and the potential for seasonally strong fourth quarter sales causes Rolls-Royce to remain confident of another strong annual result. BMW Motorrad achieved a new all-time retail high in September with 9,215 units (prev. yr.: 8,612 units/ +7.0%). Supplies of motorcycles and maxi scooters from January up to and including September totalled 85,944 units (prev. yr.: 86,892 units / -1.1%). Husqvarna Motorcycles supplied a total of 7,355 vehicles (prev. yr.: 6,079 units / +21.0%) to the Husqvarna dealer network from January up to and including September. Supplies in the month of September totalled 1,255 vehicles (prev. yr.: 1,351 units / -7.1%).

In South Africa, BMW Motorrad supplied a total of 184 motorcycles to customers last month (prev. yr. 200 units / -8%). To date, 1,774 motorcycles have been delivered to local customers (prev. yr. 1,783 / -0,5%). Other Markets:

The BMW Group reported solid gains in many markets last month and increased retail volumes in its three largest markets, China, the US and Germany. In Europe, BMW Group sales grew last month by 4.8% to 92,442 vehicles (prev. yr. 88,243). In the first nine months, BMW Group sales were slightly above last year’s level, with a total of 639,798 vehicles delivered (prev. yr. 635,013/ +0.8%). In Germany, BMW and MINI were the only premium brands to make gains in September. A total of 26,021 new BMW and MINI vehicles were registered in September (prev. yr. 23,799/ +9.3%). The BMW brand accounted for 22,009 registrations (prev. yr. 20,042/ +9.8%) and MINI for 4,012 registrations (prev. yr. 3,757/ +6.8%). Year-to-date, 211,870 BMW and MINI vehicles have been registered in Germany (prev. yr. 220,054/ -3.7%). BMW Group sales in Russia climbed 48.5% in the month under review to 3,985 vehicles (prev. yr. 2,683). Year-to-date, 28,084 vehicles have been delivered in Russia, an increase of 32.9% over the previous year (21,133).

In Asia, sales surged by 40.0% in September to 45,781 vehicles (prev. yr. 32,708). The BMW Group made strong gains in Asia in the first nine months of the year, with sales climbing 27.2% to 357,841 vehicles (prev. yr. 281,223). The company achieved exceptionally high growth in Mainland China, which accounted for 29,631 deliveries in September, an increase of 59.4% over the same month in the previous year (18,588). Year-to-date, 237,056 BMW and MINI vehicles have been sold in Mainland China (prev. yr. 177,522) which reflects an increase of 33.5%. The BMW Group posted solid gains in other Asian markets in the first nine months of the year, including Japan (41,973/ +21.5%) and South Korea (24,541/ +18.5%).

In the Americas, the BMW Group delivered 34,050 vehicles in September (prev. yr. 32,772/ +3.9%). Since the beginning of the year, 290,888 vehicles were delivered to customers in the Americas, which reflected an increase of +6.3% on the previous year (273,564). The BMW Group in the U.S. reported September sales of 26,660 vehicles (prev. yr. 25,749/ +3.5%). Year-to-date, the BMW Group is up 7.1% on sales of 234,928 vehicles in the first nine months of 2012 compared to 219,314 in the same period in 2011.

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