M Car Sales up 50% in 2008

Official Release: High-performance sports cars continue their worldwide success – dynamic development also of M Sports Packages and BMW Individual.

Munich. Delivering 24 186 BMW M Automobiles to customers in the 2008 business year, BMW M GmbH has scored the second-best result in the thirty-year history of the company, increasing sales by approximately 50 per cent over the previous year.

“Particularly the ongoing high level of BMW M Car sales also in the second half of the year underlines the great emotional appeal our products have for the customer”, stated Ludwig Willisch, President of BMW M GmbH.

The new BMW M3 was the outstanding driving force behind this positive development, accounting for worldwide sales of almost 18 000 units in its first complete year of production. As a result, the BMW M3 available since 2008 as both a Coupe, Sedan and Convertible, made an even more successful entry into the market than its predecessor which in 2002 already made a significant contribution to the company’s most successful business year so far (26 776 units delivered to customers). The great success of the new BMW M3 was also one of the reasons why BMW M GmbH was able to celebrate a second milestone in the company’s 30th year of street car production, delivery of the 300 000th BMW M Automobile setting yet another benchmark in the history of BMW M GmbH in 2008.

The model portfolio of BMW M GmbH currently comprises seven models with the new BMW M3 Coupe leading the internal sales ranking with a total number of 10 571 units sold last year. Sales of the BMW M3 Sedan introduced in March 2008 amounted to 3 253 units, with the BMW M3 Convertible launched in May 2008 accounting for an even more impressive 4 169 cars.

Worldwide sales of the BMW M5 available as both a Sedan and Touring have also developed far more successfully than with the former model: In the 2008 year of business no less than 2 465 BMW M5s went to customers the world over.

Last but not least, both the BMW M6 Coupe and the BMW M6 Convertible still retain all of their fascinating class, no less than 1 102 customers opting for the high-performance Coupe and 1 158 customers choosing the equally outstanding Convertible.

This truly excellent annual result was rounded off by the ongoing success of the BMW Z4 M Roadster and the BMW Z4 M Coupe, which reached the end of their production cycle in August 2008: In this case no less than 699 Roadsters and 739 Coupes went to true connoisseurs of sporting, purist two-seaters.

Consistent growth in all major markets.

The great enthusiasm for the top performance, authentic design and motorsport technology offered by BMW M Automobiles is a global phenomenon. Precisely this is why all major market regions the world over contribute to the dynamic increase in sales. Once again, the USA, accounting for 10 663 units delivered to customers, was the most significant individual market. In the home country of the particularly large but not so dynamic street cruiser, the sports cars from BMW M GmbH showed an increase in sales by almost 70 per cent over the previous year.

Germany, the company’s home market, became the second most significant sales region for BMW M GmbH in 2008, with 2 777 new cars bearing the M logo registered in Germany, an increase over 2007 by approximately 37 per cent. Showing equally impressive growth of more than 20 per cent to 2 469 units, Great Britain and Northern Ireland once again come third in the list of the most important markets for BMW M cars.

BMW M GmbH achieved by far its highest growth rate in relative terms in Canada, with customer deliveries increasing by almost 130 per cent to 1 114 cars. Sales figures also reached the four-digit range in Italy (1 072 units/ + 31 per cent) and Japan (1 063/ + 6 per cent).

Significant increase in sales of M Sports Packages (outside the US)

Sales of Sports Packages now available for the BMW 1 Series, the BMW 3 Series, the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 6 Series as well as the BMW X3 and the BMW X5 likewise showed significant growth in 2008. The fascinating technology and flair of these design, suspension and interior options derived authentically from motorsport appeal particularly to drivers of the BMW 3 Series: In 2008 more than 58 000 purchasers of a BMW 3 Series took the opportunity to highlight the dynamic profile of their car even more clearly through the harmoniously balanced features and components offered within the M Sports Package.