BMWNA had us worried. While the race for 2012 against Mercedes is still very much in the air, things are quite a bit closer with November sales up 45%. In fact last month was the brand ‘s best ever in the US selling almost 22,000 vehicles. Notable improvements in sales were the 5 Series (finally) +64%, the 6 Series +67% and the X3 +51%. Check out the full numbers below.

Official Release: The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported November sales of 36,461 vehicles, an increase of 38.8 percent from the 26,271 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, BMW Group is up 11.3 percent on sales of 303,728 in the first eleven months of 2012 compared to 272,873 in the same period in 2011.

“Supply is catching up with demand, making November the best sales month on record for BMW in the U.S.,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “The momentum is strong in this final month of the year, MINI has already surpassed its 2011 total, and I am confident BMW Group will set a new U.S. sales record for 2012, beating the previous record year of 2007.”

BMW Brand Sales

BMW reported the best month ever in November with sales of 31,213, an increase of 45 percent from the 21,521 vehicles sold in November, 2011. Year-to-date, the BMW brand is up 10.4 percent on sales of 244,061 compared to 221,073 sold in the first eleven months of 2011.

In November, best performing vehicles included the 5 Series, up 64.3 percent to 5,857 units; the 6 Series, up 67.4 percent to 919 units; the X3 SAV, up 50.5 percent to 4,172 units and the X6 SAV, up 55.2 percent to 813 units.

BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles

In November, sales of BMW used vehicles (including certified pre-owned and pre-owned) decreased 0.5 percent to 12,134 vehicles from the 12,196 vehicles sold in November 2011. January through November, BMW used vehicle sales are up 1.6 percent on volume of 147,272 compared to 144,882 in the same period of 2011.

MINI Brand Sales

MINI USA reported the best November ever with sales of 5,248 automobiles, an increase of 10.5 percent from the 4,750 sold in November, 2011. This marks the sixth consecutive month of record sales. Year-to-date, MINI sales in the U.S. are up 15.2 percent on volume of 59,667 compared to 51,800 in the first eleven months of 2011, surpassing the 2011 annual record of 57,511.