Sales record for BMW – for the sixth year in a row
BMW Group achieved its best ever sales in 2016 – the sixth year in a row the company has set a new sales record.
The total sales figure helps to outline the gulf between BMW and where would-be rival, Jaguar Land Rover would like to be.
In total – which includes figures for MINI and Rolls-Royce – the BMW Group sold 2,367,603 vehicles last year, an increase of 5.3% compared with the previous year.
JLR for all its efforts could not top 600,000 but while its own figures were a new annual record, the performance by BMW only serves to underline the gulf between the two companies.
Ian Robertson, BMW board member for sales and marketing, said: “As our model line-up has expanded, so have our sales, making 2016 our most successful year ever.
“Despite headwinds in some markets, our policy of balanced global sales has paid off, as we increased our worldwide sales month by month.
“The sales development of our electrified vehicles has been particularly positive, with more than 62,000 delivered in 2016. I am confident we can continue this momentum and build on our course of profitable, sustainable growth into 2017.”
Annual sales of BMW and MINI in Europe topped the one million mark for the first time ever, with a total of 1,091,192 vehicles delivered to customers.
Sales in Asia also experienced strong growth in 2016 with a total of 745,784 vehicles delivered, up 9.0% compared with 2015.
In 2016, BMW branded vehicles achieved a new full-year sales record of more than two million vehicles. A total of 2,003,359 BMW brand vehicles were sold around the world, 5.2% more than in the previous year.
The worldwide trend towards increasing SUV sales was reflected by the continuing success of the BMW X family, with one in three BMWs sold being an X vehicle. A total of 644,992 BMW X models was delivered in 2016, an increase of 22.3% compared with 2015.
Full-year sales of BMW electrified vehicles topped 62,000 in 2016, with the figures growing strongly through the year as more models were added to the line-up.
2016 was the first full year of MINI sales following the brand’s realignment in 2015, and MINI recorded its best-ever sales results with a total of 360,233 vehicles delivered to customers, an increase of 6.4%.
This is good news for the West Midlands, where many of the engines for the MINI are made.
“These record results show that MINI is on the right track, with our new Cabrio and Clubman models being the strongest growth drivers,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member for MINI, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the second highest annual sales in the marque’s 113-year history, against a backdrop of challenging market conditions. The Goodwood-based luxury brand sold 4,011 cars, up 6%.
Strong sales were reported worldwide except in the Middle East, where significant headwinds impacted on the entire luxury sector.
