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BMW Group posts 34pc growth

DUBAI — BMW Group Middle East, which posted a record 34 per cent sales growth in the first 11 months of this year, said it was fully geared up to sustain the growth trend to reinforce its regional leadership in the luxury car segment.

Guenther Seemann, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East, said given the buoyancy in the regional economy coupled with the automaker's new product lines, the outlook for 2006 remained brighter.

"We will sustain a double digit growth next year too," he said on the sidelines of the Dubai Motor Show.

In 2004, the group registered a sales of 10,950 units. With one month more to go, we hope to end the year on a very upbeat note," he said.

Worldwide, BMW Group sold 1,211,177 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce cars in the period up to the end of November. Compared with the corresponding figures for last year (1,093,380), this marks a rise of 10.8 per cent.

"This means that in the first eleven months of 2005, more vehicles were sold than in the whole of 2004 (1,208,724). In November 2005, the BMW Group sold 114,044 automobiles. This is a 9.5 per cent increase compared with the same month last year (104,174)," he said.

Seemann said there is strong indication the German automaker will be the most successful supplier in the premium segment worldwide for 2005 as a whole. "We are growing more quickly than the overall market, and we are growing more quickly than our relevant competitors."

For the year up to the end of November 2005, the BMW brand delivered 1,020,156 cars, outstripping last year's level (920,163) by 10.9 per cent.

He said BMW is looking at further expansion of its sales in Iran and other countries in the region. In the UAE, it would strengthen its showroom networks.

Globally, the main driving force behind the sales growth is the new BMW 3 Series Saloon. "A good eight months after its market launch in March this year, over 200,000 (202,638) units have been handed over to customers.

In the luxury class, this top position has been held throughout the year to date by the BMW 7 Series. Up to the end of November, 43,478 BMW 7 Series vehicles were sold. Compared with the previous year (41,953), this is an increase of 3.6 per cent.