BMW Group Posts 21.7 Percent Increase in Global Sales in February

The BMW Group, which includes the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, sold 111,720 vehicles in February 2011, recording a 21.7 percent increase over February 2010 (91,763 units) and setting a new record high for the month. For the year to the end of February, the German group’s sales volumes were 24.7% higher than in the first two months of the previous year, at 216,911 units compared to 173,913 in January-February 2010.

February sales of BMW brand cars were up 21.9 percent to 95,423 units, while MINI saw its sales climb 19.3 percent to 16,045, and Rolls-Royce posted a 276.1 percent increase to 252 vehicles.

In Europe, the German group’s biggest region, sales grew 16.8 percent to 57,381 units, while Asia accounted for 25,722 units and climbed 49.3%, and sales in the Americas were up 14.7% to 24,640 vehicles in February.

The company posted double-digit growth in its three largest single markets in February as new registrations in Germany climbed 20.8 percent to 18,883 vehicles. In the U.S. the group sold 19,919 vehicles (+10.8%) and in China, 16,511 vehicles (+72%) in February.

The automaker posted strong gains in other regions as well, with sales in South Korea rising 54.9% to 1,797 units, in India, +68% to 620 units and in Brazil, +101% to 938 cars.

“Our young vehicle fleet is currently doing exceptionally well from the recovery of the car markets in many regions of the world. In particular, strong demand for the BMW X models, the BMW 5 Series and the MINI Countryman shows that our model range is right on target. We should also see further impetus from the new BMW 6 Series, which comes onto the market in the spring,” said Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Sales and Marketing.

“We expect this dynamic growth to continue throughout the first half of 2011, and then slow down somewhat in the second half of the year, due to base-line effects,” he added.