The Mini is proving to be a huge success for BMW. It will sell 20 per cent more vehicles than expected on international markets, as well as in South Africa.
The Mini is proving to be a huge success for BMW. The company has said it will sell 20 per cent more vehicles than expected.
Outgoing BMW chief executive Joachim Milberg said on Thursday that the company had expected to sell 100 000 cars, but would actually sell 20 000 more.
“Assuming there is no unexpected deterioration of economic conditions, the BMW Group is confident that deliveries, sales and profits will increase even further (over 2001),” he said at the annual shareholders’ meeting in Munich this week.
“The international automotive industry is currently characterised more by the individual performance of specific manufacturers and not so much by all-round development in the industry as a whole,” he added.
But it is the Mini that is helping give BMW good returns. “We are now looking to increase (Mini) production by 15-20 per cent, and naturally we will be selling these cars,” he said. “This reflects the great demand for the Mini.” BMW will introduce a supercharged Cooper S later this year and a diesel version, with a Toyota engine, next year.
Demand is big in South Africa too. “Sales have been robust. Due to great demand since the launch, we have had to increase our sales estimates for the rest of the year,” said Richard Carter, general manager of communications at BMW South Africa.