German manufacturer BMW AG said its full-year sales for 2001 grew by 7,1 per cent due to the demand for the 3-Series and the new Mini.
German manufacturer BMW AG said its full-year sales for 2001 grew by 7,1 per cent due to the demand for the 3-Series and the new Mini.
The company said sales increased by R360 billion. Car sales increased by 13 per cent and motorcycle sales grew by 14 per cent. “The 2001 year was by far the most successful business year in the BMW Group’s history,” the firm said in a statement.
Total production of BMW cars, including its Mini subsidiary in the UK, reached 946 730 units. The Munich-based carmaker achieved increased sales of the X5 sport-utility vehicle, 3-Series cars and a very successful introduction of the new Mini.
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.
In its annual letter to shareholders, BMW said it expected to overcome weaker demand among mass-market carmakers by exploiting rising demand for up-market vehicles.
“The premium segments of the international car markets will continue to develop at an above-average pace,” said Milberg. BMW has said it expects unit sales to rise by a third in the next six years.