BMW Group Records its Best Ever May Sales Result Despite European Crisis

The deterioration in the European economy hasn’t left the BMW Group unscathed, but the premium German automaker more than compensated for the loss of sales in its home market in May with strong gains in Asia and to a lesser extent in America.

In fact, with 156,957 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles delivered worldwide in May, the group recorded a 6.4 percent increase over the same month last year, achieving its best-ever May sales result.

Since the beginning of the year, the BMW Group has sold 728,029 automobiles, exceeding the previous year’s first five months by 9.1 percent or more than 60,000 units.

“Our vehicle portfolio continues to be in strong demand and once again we achieved record sales in the month of May,” commented Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management, Sales and Marketing BMW.

“Exceptional new products such as the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé, which we launched on the 1st of June, as well as the new BMW 7 Series, will continue to drive momentum. We are well on our way to achieving a new all-time high for sales in the year 2012,” said Robertson.

In Asia, the BMW Group sold 41,289 vehicles in May, up 25.7 percent over last year. Mainland China accounted for 27,815 deliveries, an increase of 31.5 percent over May of 2011. In the first five months of the year, 135,026 BMW and MINI vehicles have been sold in Mainland China, up 34.4 percent.

Across America, the BMW Group delivered 35,127 vehicles in May, an increase of 5.6 percent over last year. In the U.S., 28,321 vehicles were delivered last month, an increase of 7.1 percent over the same month in 2011. In the first five months of 2012, the BMW Group is up 12.2 percent on sales of 130,843.

In Europe, the German automaker saw its May sales drop by 1.7 percent to 75,374 units. Certain markets in northern and central Europe experienced strong growth in May. These include the U.K. (13,438 units / +8.9%), the Netherlands (2,500 units / +33.8%), and Austria (2,137 units / +10.5%).

On the other hand, in Germany, sales of new BMW and MINI vehicles dropped 5.3 percent to 27,796 in May. However, in the first five months of the year, 121,202 BMW and MINI vehicles have been registered in Germany, representing an increase of 1.1 percent over 2011.