Record H1 for BMW Group as demand continues to increase

VEHICLE manufacturer BMW has followed Jaguar Land Rover in announcing record first half sales.

For the first six months of the year, global sales were up 5.8% on last year with 1,163, 139 vehicles delivered.

June was also a record month for the manufacturer, with sales up 9.1% on the same month last year, with 227,849 vehicles dispatched to new owners.

Ian Robertson, board member for sales and marketing, said: “With our three premium brands (BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce), we’ve achieved good first half-year growth, with sales in Europe and Asia showing particularly strong results.

“Our focus continues to be on ensuring sustainable, profitable growth in sales and despite headwinds in some markets, our June results confirm that we are achieving just that.”

The strong sales are also continued good news for the hundreds of workers employed at the group’s engine plant at Hams Hall, were strong demand is continuing to push up output.

June saw 189,097 BMW brand vehicles sold, an increase of 9.7% on last year, bringing year-to-date sales for the brand up to 986,557, an increase of 5.8% compared with H1 last year.

Star performers included the BMW 2 Series (21,720 / +49.6%), the BMW X1 (17,031 / +79.8%), the BMW X3 (15,489 / +27.2%) and BMW 5 Series (29,965 / +5.4%). Pride of place went to the BMW 7 Series, which almost doubled its monthly sales year-on-year at 6,301 units, arise of 92.6%.

Demand for the group’s electric cars continued to increase – in June, 4% of all BMW sales in Western Europe were electrified cars, with that percentage increasing significantly in markets where e-mobility is supported by financial and infrastructure measures such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

MINI also notched up a record June, with sales of 38,282, an increase of 6.3% on the corresponding month last year.

In H1, 174,898 MINIs were sold, an increase of 5.4% on the first six months of last year.

Sales of the convertible car were strong, standing at 14,136 for H1, an increase of 54.5%. The new Clubman was also popular, with sales of 27,511 cars worldwide.

After a sluggish start to the year, Rolls-Royce bounced back with its best ever June – sales up 14.7% on last year.

There was record demand for the recently launched Dawn, combined with significant interest in the Black Badge Wraith and Black Badge Ghost, both of which were recently showcased at the Goodwood Festival.

Despite a strong second quarter, H1 sales overall were down 4.8% at 1,684 units.

The group said the performance reflected the successful rebalancing of production at the Goodwood plant ahead of the launch of the new Dawn.
 
It said the marque remained optimistic for a strong year overall.

Combined BMW and MINI sales were up 15% in Europe last month, while for H1 the figure was up 11.2% at 542,851 vehicles – the first time it has exceeded the half a million mark.

In Asia, June sales were up 12.3%, while there was a 7.1% increase over the first six months compared with last year.

However, the Americas markets continued to be tough for the group, with sales down 8.4% in June and 8% for H1 as a whole. Monthly sales in the USA are down 11.9%.