The BMW Group broke an important sales record, delivering more than a million vehicles in the first half of this year for the first time ever. The German automaker handed over a total of 1,020,211 vehicles to customers worldwide, an increase of 6.9 percent over the same period last year (954,501).
June sales also reached an all-time high, with deliveries increasing 4.8 percent for a total of 193,342 vehicles. “This is the first time we’ve sold more than a million cars in the first half of the year and underscores the strength of our premium brands within the BMW Group,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the BMW AG Board of Management, Sales and Marketing BMW.
Sales so far this year confirm BMW is on track to achieve its target of delivering more than 2 million vehicles in 2014. The company expects growth to continue in the second half of the year as well, when new vehicles including the BMW X4 and BMW 2-Series Active Tourer arrive in dealerships.
Of the total number of cars sold in the first six months, 886,347 were BMW brand vehicles (up 10.2 percent), with June sales also climbing 7.3 percent to 164,214 units. Mini sales fell by 11.4 percent to 131,896 vehicles in the first half of the year, due to the recent model change of the brand’s core model, the Hatch. In June, 28,738 Minis were delivered to customers, down 7.6 percent compared with the same month last year.
Rolls-Royce sales in the first six months of the year rose 33.4 percent to 1,968 units, as the brand saw strong demand for Wraith and the recently announced Ghost Series II. The Phantom family continues to be in good demand across the world.
Finally, BMW Motorrad global sales totaled 70,978 motorcycles and maxi-scooters in the first half of the year, up 9.3 percent. In June, 11,827 bikes were sold (-5.7 percent).
By Dan Mihalascu
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