BMW has posted record car sales for the first half of the year after strong growth in China and the US. The German car manufacturer sold 954,521 vehicles in the six months to the end of June, an increase of 6% compared with the same period a year earlier. But sales of its British marques Mini and Rolls-Royce fell 2% and 7.8% respectively.
Ian Robertson, its sales and marketing director, said: "The BMW group achieved its best ever sales figures in the first half of this year and last month, despite the prevailing headwinds in some European markets.
"We aim to continue our sales growth in the second half of the year with new models such as the BMW 5 Series, which is launched this month and the third generation of the highly successful BMW X5, which arrives later in the year."
Sales of BMW branded cars rose 7.7% in the first six months.
The firm said Rolls-Royce, despite the first-half fall, was on target for growth in the full year thanks to demand in the Middle East, south-east Asia and China, and the planned introduction of the new Wraith during the fourth quarter.
The group delivered a total of 272,100 cars to Asia in the first half, an increase of 14.4%, and up 15% in China.
Sales in the US were up 9% at 172,787 in the first half, boosted by the availability of more models.
Group sales were down 0.1% in Europe, with 436,483 cars delivered in the first six months.
BMW's group sales increased at a faster rate in June than those at German premium rivals Audi and Mercedes, up 6.9% to 184,489.––Paul Duchene
