BMW NA Sales Down 4% for May

BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported May sales of 22,092 vehicles delivering the best result this year in spite of volume being down 3.9 percent compared to May 2009. Year-to-date, the BMW Group also reported a total sales volume of 98,254 vehicles, up five percent from the same period last year. “We continued to successfully manage through a difficult transition period prior to the launch of key, new high volume vehicles,” said Jim O’Donnell, President of BMW of North America, LLC. “The good news is we’re now in that launch window with the first of these products – the all-new 5 Series – entering the market this month.”

The new BMW 5 Series kicks-off a model offensive that will replace about 60 percent of BMW’s current model line-up with all-new products over the next 30 months. On the MINI side, starting in 2011, MINI’s product range will double from three to six creating additional growth perspectives for the premium small car brand. BMW Brand Sales

Taking the limited availability of the 5 Series and X3 ahead of the new model launches into account, the BMW brand managed to hold its own in May selling 17,859 vehicles, a slight decrease of 2.9 percent versus last May. Year-to-date, sales increased by six percent to 81,450 units.

After the first five months of the year, BMW held onto its leading position in the important premium midsize “3 Series” segment with sales up 15.9 percent to 40,019 units accounting for almost 50 percent of BMW’s overall sales volume in the U.S. BMW also kept its lead in the large luxury vehicle segment with sales of the 7 Series up 114.2 percent to 5,119 units. The BMW X5 xDrive35d continued to lead the premium diesel segment in the U.S. with 3,256 vehicles delivered to customers, up 126 percent, during the first five months of the year selling more than twice as many vehicles than its closest competitor.

BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles

In May, sales of BMW’s used vehicles (including certified pre-owned vehicles) sold through BMW’s dealership network increased 4.1 percent to 14,958 vehicles. Year-to-date, used vehicle sales were up 5.6 percent to 70,278 vehicles.

MINI Brand Sales

Coming from a very strong performance in May 2009, MINI USA reported sales of 4,233 cars, a decrease of 8.2 percent. Year over year, MINI showed a stable performance with 16,804 units, up 0.1 percent and continued to increase its share in a market that is still lagging other segments.