They lost the crown in the premium segment last year, but now they are doing all they can to get it back. BMW managed to achieve record sales in the first half of 2017 and hopes it will be enough to get it back on track for regaining the crown from Mercedes.
The record first half-year saw sales of the BMW Group’s three premium brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, increasing by 5.0%. A total of 1,220,819 vehicles have been delivered to customers around the world so far this year.
BMW Group sales also achieved their best ever June, with sales in the month totalling 232,620, a 2.1% increase year-on-year.
Global BMW sales totalled 1,038,030 units, an increase of 5.2% on the same period last year. Sales of BMW brand vehicles in June totalled 192,873, up 2.0% compared with the same month last year.
Sales of the BMW X1 increased 45.2% (136,748) in the first half-year while deliveries of the BMW X5 increased by 10.6% (89,958). BMW 1 Series sales grew by 6.5% (91,802) in the first half-year, while deliveries of the flagship BMW 7 Series increased during the same period by 26.9% (32,290).
In the first half of 2017, the Goodwood-based Rolls-Royce brand delivered 1,575 (-6.5%) motor cars to customers. The same period in 2016 was particularly strong due to the popularity of the newly introduced Rolls-Royce Dawn. This base effect, and the absence from the market of the Phantom pending the introduction of the new Phantom later this year, account for the decrease in sales year-on-year.
