In the first nine months of the year, the BMW Group grew its worldwide sales by 1.7%, to 1,866,198 units. Deliveries in September were up 4.6% on the same month last year, with a total of 248,684 premium BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered to customers. "Following the successful market launch of the new BMW 7 Series, BMW X7, BMW 8 Series Coupé and the BMW 8 Series Convertible, the BMW 8 Series Gran Coupé is now also in showrooms, since September. With this model offensive, we are continuing to expand our position in the highly profitable luxury segment," said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales. "We also offer the broadest electrified line-up of any of our competitors. In its sixth year the fully-electric BMW i3 is still performing extremely well and will therefore continue to be part of our line-up in the coming years. We will be launching another pure electric vehicle, the MINI Electric, towards the end of the year." Total BMW brand sales for the first three quarters of the year rose 2.2% to 1,601,397 units. In the month of September, a total of 210,427 BMW vehicles were delivered to customers (+4.8%). The BMW X3 (+74.0%) and BMW X4 (+43.4%), in particular, posted high double-digit growth in the year to date. Within six months of its introduction onto the market, 25,125 new BMW X7 luxury-class SAVs have already been delivered to customers around the world. Sales of BMW Group electrified models increased by 10.1% in September to 16,035 units – due in part to the new BMW 330e*. BMW i sales for the month of September rose 23.9% to 4,148 units. Sales of the MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4* plug-in hybrid climbed 35.9% in the first nine months of the year to reach a total of 11,996 units. The BMW Group intends to have one million electrified vehicles on the roads by the end of 2021. The company expects to have delivered a total of half a million fully-electric and plug-in hybrid BMW and MINI vehicles to customers by the end of this year. The BMW Group also plans to offer 25 electrified models by 2023 – more than half will be fully electric. MINI brand sales reached 37,786 units worldwide in September: an increase of 2.9%. In a highly competitive segment and with a focus on profitable sales development, year-to-date sales totalled 261,024 units (-1.8%). With growth of almost 20%, the MINIs growth continued at Rolls-Royce, with a total of 3,777 Rolls Royce motor cars delivered to customers across the globe (+42.0%) in the year to date. Growth was seen in every region worldwide, with sustained demand for all model families. Sales of Wraith, particularly in Black Badge variant, performed especially well during the period. Exceptional customer demand for Cullinan continues and has resulted in a strong order book, filled well into the first quarter of 2020. The marque remains on track for a strong year in 2019. BMW Motorrad posted solid sales growth and was able to maintain the same high level as the previous year. In the first three quarters of 2019, a total of 136,932 motorcycles and maxi scooters were delivered to customers around the globe (+8.0%). In September, 15,834 units (+12.1%) were sold worldwide. – SG
