Sales of Mini five-door models motoring as BMW hits April high
BMW car sales rose 5.6 per cent, to a record 148,896 last month, as strong demand for its 2-Series van in Europe and offroad vehicles in the US helped offset sluggish Chinese demand.
Meanwhile, deliveries of the Mini brand rose 28 per cent, to 26,766, due to full availability of the new three- and five-door models.
Sales of BMW and Mini vehicles rose 8.7 per cent in Europe and 9.6 per cent in North America, while sales in China remained almost flat, at 37,976 cars, a 0.6 per cent rise compared with the same month a year earlier.
BMW said the year-to-date figures for its core brand also set a new record, with sales in the first four months totalling 600,473, up 5.5 per cent in the 2014 period.
For the first time, the group said it sold more than 100,000 Minis in the first four months of the year. A total of 9,578 customers took delivery of a MINI 3-door in April, while sales of the five-door models reached 7,814 in the month.