BackBMW May sales fall 18%
BMW May sales fall 18%
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Frankfurt: German carmaker BMW AG said Monday it sold 109,042 vehicles in May, an 18% decline from the same period a year earlier, but noted that the sales trend was improving from previous months.
The Munich-based premium carmaker said its BMW brand sold 90,643 cars last month, down 18% from the 110,707 sold in May 2008.
The Mini brand saw sales fall 19%, to 18,348 cars from 22,685. Sales of the super-luxury Rolls-Royce brand declined 54% to 51 cars for the month, compared with 110 in May a year ago.
BMW’s motorcycles division saw a 12% decline, to 10,172 motorcycles from 11,580.
“Sales decreased much more slowly in May than in recent months," Ian Robertson, a board member responsible for sales and marketing said in the company’s report.
“Overall, I am cautiously optimistic that our global sales figures will continue to improve over the course of the year.
“We were able to increase our market share in the premium segment in major markets such as the US and Japan over the previous month. That puts us right on track to maintain our position as the world’s number one premium manufacturer in terms of sales volume in 2009," he said.
BMW said its BMW Z4, a new sports coupe on the market since 9 May, has seen 2,365 deliveries worldwide. The 7 Series limousine, the company’s biggest sedan, sold nearly 3,400 units in May — a 1.5% increase. BMW sold 801 7 Series cars in the German home market, making it market leader in the luxury sedan segment. Meanwhile, the X6, an SUV-car crossover sold 3,625 units worldwide, a 109% improvement over May a year ago.
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