BMW Group increased global sales of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles by 12.1 percent in March and 13.8 percent for the first quarter of 2010.
The company sold 315,614 vehicles worldwide, up from 277,264 in the first three months of last year. In March, BMW Group sold 141,701 vehicles, up from 126,381 vehicles.
All three brands made strong gains during the month. Sales of BMW brand vehicles climbed 12.7 percent while Mini sales increased by 9.1 percent and Rolls-Royce sales were up 78.6 percent.
“We are back on our growth track in nearly all the automobile markets,” said Robertson. “We intend to continue improving on last year’s figures throughout the second quarter — thanks not least to the new BMW 5 Series sedan and new models such as the 3 Series coupe and convertible.”
He added that “for 2010 as a whole, we are aiming for healthy growth in the single-digit percent range.”
Sales gains were quarterly records in Brazil, up 131.2 percent; Russia, up 11.6 percent; India, up 32.5 percent; China, up 106.1 percent; Austria, up 23.1 percent; South Korea, up 65.8 percent; and Malaysia, 14 percent. Latin America as a market was up 71 percent, and the Middle East sales increased by 13.1 percent.
The BMW Group was the only German auto manufacturer also to make gains in its largest single market, Germany, where it expanded its market share. In the United States, the company posted a 7.4 percent increase for the first quarter.
The company recently announced that BMW Manufacturing Co., its sole manufacturing facility in the United States, had exported more than 1 million vehicles since it began operations in 1994. Currently, about 70 percent of the Greer plant’s production is exported — primarily through the Port of Charleston — to more than 120 markets worldwide.
BMW’s larger model series were strong contributors to first-quarter gains. Sales of the BMW 7 series grew by 54.1 percent, while the BMW X5 and X6 models, both produced in Greer, grew by 9.5 percent combined.
Robertson said new orders for the new X1 and 5 Series sedan models are “looking very good — easily exceeding our already high expectations.”
The new BMW 5 Series sedan has been available in Europe since late March and will launch in the United States in June. Initial deliveries of the new BMW 5 Series Touring and the new Mini Countryman will begin in the autumn of 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Land Rover Marches Ahead - record breaking sales month
According to industry sources, around 11,000 Land Rovers were sold in the UK in March, more than any other month since the brand was founded in 1948.
Land Rover, a British-based manufacturer now exporting across the world, has enjoyed a strong run globally so far this year, benefiting from the stabilising of the economy and the snow that engulfed the UK.
Its performance is a boost to Tata. The Indian conglomerate bought the company along with Jaguar from Ford in 2008 for $2.5bn (£1.5bn), only to then endure the luxury car makers losing £281m in the first 10 months under new ownership.
Monthly figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders are expected to show this week that Land Rover sales in March were 60pc up on last year, allowing the brand to breach its previous sales record of 10,600, set in March 2006. March has become the busiest month for sales in the UK since 1999, when, along with September, it was established as the month when new number plates launched.
Land Rover sales are being driven by a new range of models and upgrades, such as the Discovery 4 and Range Rover Sport, and the poor weather, which highlighted the resilience of 4x4 vehicles in a range of conditions.
The performance of Land Rover is more commendable because it has barely benefited from the UK scrappage scheme. The Freelander and Defender models have been relatively popular, but out of 400,000 vehicles allocated for the scheme, less than 2,000 sold were Land Rovers.
However, car dealerships have being reporting a recovery in demand for premium vehicles outside the scrappage scheme as company executives and cash-rich individuals regain confidence in the economic outlook.
In February, Tata Motors revealed that Jaguar Land Rover had returned to profit for the first time in more than a year after demand for Land Rovers surged across the world.
The luxury car maker recorded net profits of 4.6bn rupees (£68m) in the final three months of 2009, the first profit since the third quarter of 2008.
Land Rover sales increased 34pc, attracting customers in North America, Europe and China soared, partly thanks to government incentive schemes. Jaguar sales rose 11.5pc.
Land Rover, a British-based manufacturer now exporting across the world, has enjoyed a strong run globally so far this year, benefiting from the stabilising of the economy and the snow that engulfed the UK.
Its performance is a boost to Tata. The Indian conglomerate bought the company along with Jaguar from Ford in 2008 for $2.5bn (£1.5bn), only to then endure the luxury car makers losing £281m in the first 10 months under new ownership.
Monthly figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders are expected to show this week that Land Rover sales in March were 60pc up on last year, allowing the brand to breach its previous sales record of 10,600, set in March 2006. March has become the busiest month for sales in the UK since 1999, when, along with September, it was established as the month when new number plates launched.
Land Rover sales are being driven by a new range of models and upgrades, such as the Discovery 4 and Range Rover Sport, and the poor weather, which highlighted the resilience of 4x4 vehicles in a range of conditions.
The performance of Land Rover is more commendable because it has barely benefited from the UK scrappage scheme. The Freelander and Defender models have been relatively popular, but out of 400,000 vehicles allocated for the scheme, less than 2,000 sold were Land Rovers.
However, car dealerships have being reporting a recovery in demand for premium vehicles outside the scrappage scheme as company executives and cash-rich individuals regain confidence in the economic outlook.
In February, Tata Motors revealed that Jaguar Land Rover had returned to profit for the first time in more than a year after demand for Land Rovers surged across the world.
The luxury car maker recorded net profits of 4.6bn rupees (£68m) in the final three months of 2009, the first profit since the third quarter of 2008.
Land Rover sales increased 34pc, attracting customers in North America, Europe and China soared, partly thanks to government incentive schemes. Jaguar sales rose 11.5pc.
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