German manufacturer BMW AG says it may, for the first time, sell one million units in a year due to the introduction of the new Mini and increased demand for the X5 sport-utility vehicle world-wide.
German manufacturer BMW AG says it may, for the first time, sell one million units in a year due to the introduction of the new Mini and increased demand for the X5 sport-utility vehicle world-wide.
Total production of BMW cars, including the Mini, reached 946 730 units last year.
BMW said February sales rose 16,6 per cent to 74 422 cars, while two-month sales rose to 152 228 cars and trucks compared to 2001, an increase of 17,7 per cent. The company said 14 186 Mini cars were sold in January and February.
The automaker’s sales in the first two months in Germany rose 9,9 per cent from a year ago to 39 681 cars, the company said.
BMW said it was also seeing “insatiable” demand for diesel variants, with a quarter of all BMWs now being sold with diesel engines – even though it does not export such models to the United States.
Joachim Milberg, BMW chairman, who steps down in May, said the group anticipated further expansion with the launch of its new 7-Series flagship and international demand for the new Mini.
CARtoday.com reported last month that BMW dealers in England have already pre-sold more than half of this year’s allocation of the luxury vehicle even though it only goes on sale this month.
“A month or two after launch in March, we should have sold the lot,” said BMW Great Britain’s product marketing manager Greg Eastwood. British retailers, who each received at least one demonstrator car in January, have taken approximately 800 orders with more coming in daily.