BMW Z9

Photo: BMW

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Professor Dr.-Ing. Joachim Milberg, Chairman of the Board of the BMW Group, made the following comment: "Business is developing wonderfully in the year 2000. From the beginning of the year, we have been recording record sales month after month. Our products are more popular and in greater demand than ever before." 

The driving force behind this is primarily the BMW 3 series, with more than 262,000 models (excluding the Z3) being sold in the first six months of this year. This is an increase of 14.4 percent compared with the first six months of 1999 (229,200). The successful launch of the BMW ("Sports Activity Vehicle") X5 in December last year has also been followed by high-speed sales, with over 10,300 vehicles being supplied from January to June. 

In the half-yearly figures, some BMW sales markets have been much more successful than the global average. With the total market for the half-year in Germany at minus ten percent, BMW continued to buck the trend quite clearly: 129,400 units sold mean that sales figures improved once again over the same period last year, recording an increase of 1.1%. 

In Europe, market developments were particularly satisfactory in Spain, with plus 29.4 percent (to 14,226 units), Belgium, with plus 21.8 percent (to 11,767 units) Sweden with plus 21.0 percent (to 3,664 units), France, with plus 16.8 percent (to 16,631 units) and Norway, with plus 16.3 percent (to 1,459 units). The growth rates achieved by BMW are well above the rates of growth for the market as a whole and those achieved by our direct competitors. 

In the Americas, the BMW brand showed the highest growth rates in Mexico, with plus 38.3 percent (to 1,424 units), Canada, with plus 21.9 percent (to 5,380 units) and the USA, with plus 13.7 percent (to 88,783 units). In Eastern Europe and Asia, South Korea showed an increase of 127.8 percent (to 713 units), Russia 116.8 percent (to 414 units) and China 68.9 percent (to 1,601 units). In South Africa, BMW recorded an increase of 25.3 percent to 8,592 cars. 

The BMW Motorcycle Division also continues to be in top form. Worldwide, over 45,600 motorcycles were supplied, which is 20.8 percent more than in the same period last year. The most successful BMW motorcycle is the R 1150 GS, with around 9,200 units sold. The highest growth rates were achieved in the USA, with plus 18.8 percent (to 6,591 units), Germany, with plus 15.9 percent (to 16,028 units) and Italy, with plus 15.5 percent (to 6,432 units). 

For Land Rover vehicles, which are being included in the report for the last time, as already announced, sales, at about 88,800 units, have fallen slightly (minus 2.5 percent; 91,100 units last year). Within the project range, around 37,800 Freelanders were supplied to customers, which marks a 5.1 percent increase on the same time last year (35,900 units).

(July 17, 2000)