11:37 pm, July 7, 2011
BMW Group UK has reported sales are up 15.8 per cent in the first six months of 2011 compared to 2010.
85,226 vehicles were sold by the group, increasing the group’s overall share of the total UK market grew to 8.3 per cent.
‘Despite difficult market conditions, our sales performance in the first half of the year has continued to outperform the market,’ said Tim Abbott, managing director of BMW Group UK. ‘This growth has been driven by demand from our corporate customers especially for our tax and fuel efficient models in the BMW 3 and 5 Series ranges.
‘The X1 and X3 have enjoyed a strong level of customer demand while MINI Convertible and MINI Countryman models have also proved popular.
‘However, it is becoming clear that the outlook for the remainder of the year is looking very challenging, particularly in the retail sector of the market where consumer demand is becoming more difficult to predict.’
The group’s 85,226 vehicles sold was made up of 60,606 BMWs – equating to a 5.8 per cent share – and 24,620 Minis – an increase of 11 per cent over the first six months of 2010. This increase takes Mini’s share of the UK market up to 2.2 per cent.
