BMW Group sales top 200,000 for first time in single month

Munich (ots) -

212,908 vehicles delivered in March, an increase of 11.3%
Year-to-date sales climb 8.7% to 487,024 vehicles
Q1 sales growth in all three major sales regions

The BMW Group sold 212,908 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles in
March - the company's best-ever monthly results. It's a significant
11.3% increase on the previous all-time monthly high in March last
year (191,269 units). A new high for the first quarter of the year
was also achieved with a total of 487,024 vehicles delivered in the
first three months of 2014 (prev. yr. 448,200 / +8.7%).

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management, Sales and
Marketing BMW, said: "This is the first time in the company's history
that over 200,000 vehicles were delivered to customers in a single
month - March has rounded off a strong first quarter in 2014. Despite
continuing economic uncertainties, we are experiencing steady
improvement in almost all regions. Sales of our BMW X-
vehicles have been particularly strong; I'm sure the brand new BMW
X4, which celebrated start-of-production in Plant Spartanburg at the
end of March, will contribute to boosting growth still further when
it comes onto the market from July."

Worldwide sales of BMW brand vehicles rose 16.9% to 186,126 in
March, making it the brand's most successful month ever (prev. yr.
159,195). Sales for the first three months of the year reached
428,259, an increase of 12.3% (prev. yr. 381,406). Sales of BMW
X-vehicles were particularly strong growth drivers in the first
quarter. The BMW X1 saw double- digit growth, with 43,262 vehicles
delivered to customers in the year to end of March (prev. yr. 37,680
/ +14.8%). BMW X3 volume increased by 10.8% in the first three months
of the year (40,115 / prev. yr. 36,189) and deliveries of the new BMW
X5 rose 13.8% to 31,025 units (prev. yr. 27,274). The BMW 3 Series
was also a steady growth driver in the year-to-date with a total of
116,671 units sold (prev. yr. 109,308 / +6.7%). Sales of the BMW 5
Series also developed well in the first three months of the year,
with 91,600 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 85,731 /
+6.8%).

Due to the current model-change - the new MINI arrived in
dealerships at the end of March - sales of MINI brand vehicles have
decreased in line with expectations during the first quarter of 2014.
Deliveries for the first three months of the year were down 12.5%
(57,868 /prev. yr. 66,156) with sales in March down 16.9% to 26,382
units (prev. yr. 31,765). The order-book for the new MINI is strong