UK MARCH SALES - BMW GROUP - Stagnant BMW boosted by MINI, up 60%

BMW Group in the UK achieved its best ever sales in March with both BMW and MINI brands setting new UK records. In total 37, 887 BMW and MINI vehicles were registered, an increase of 12 per cent over March 2014. 

The BMW brand accounted for 26,925 sales and MINI sold 10,962 vehicles, MINI’s best monthly sales performance since the vehicle’s UK launch in July 2001. Both brands also achieved new quarterly sales records with 40,024 BMWs and 14,961 MINIs sold in the first three months of 2015.

BMW Group achieved a market share of 7.68 per cent of the total UK car market in March (BMW 5.46 per cent and MINI 2.22 per cent) bolstered by the introduction of the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and Convertible, the BMW 4 Series Convertible and Gran Coupé, and MINI models including the MINI Hatch 3 and 5-door vehicles.

“BMW Group has had a great start to the year breaking records with both its BMW and MINI brands in the UK with sales of nearly 38,000 vehicles in March and 55,000 vehicles in the first quarter. We have seen strong sales growth driven by particularly high demand for new models launched in both the BMW 2 Series and 4 Series ranges,” said Graeme Grieve, Chief Executive Officer of BMW Group UK. 

“The iconic MINI is also celebrating its highest ever monthly and quarterly sales result thanks to strong performances from the new 3 and 5-door Hatch models. We are attracting new customers to both brands with our exciting new model portfolio and we have also been working closely with our retailers to ensure our retail environment reflects changing consumer needs,” concluded Grieve.

BMW brand sales

Sales of BMW vehicles set a new record in the first quarter increasing by five per cent to a total of 40,024 vehicles representing 5.45 per cent of the total UK market. Demand for the BMW 2 and 4 Series ranges has been particularly strong and has accounted for over 8,700 customer deliveries. Demand for the BMW i3 and i8 models remains strong and sales have exceeded 1,000 vehicles in the first three months of the year.

MINI brand Sales                                                                                                    

MINI celebrated its highest ever monthly sales since its launch in 2001 capturing 2.2 per cent of the market with 10,962 models sold, an increase of 62 per cent compared to March 2014. The New MINI 3-Door Hatch continued to be the brand’s biggest seller. Alongside its all-new stablemate, the MINI 5-Door Hatch, nearly 15,000 were sold between January and March (3-Door Hatch: 6,454 and 5-Door Hatch: 3,524) an increase of 51 per cent up on the first quarter last year.

BMW Group UK sales: January to March 2015:

	March 2015	March 2014	% change	Year to date 2015	Year to date 2014	% change
BMW	26,925	26,977	0%	40,024	37,937	+5%
MINI	10,962	6,581	+60%	14,961	9,903	+53%
Total BMW Group	37,887	33,558	+12%	54,985	47,780	+15%