JANUARY SALES - WORLDWIDE - BMW - all brands shows growth, around the globe.

• 142,154 vehicles delivered to customers, increase of 7.0%
• Robertson: Further growth in 2015 anticipated
• Schwarzenbauer: MINI will build on momentum in 2015

Following on from a record-breaking 2014, where the BMW Group delivered more than two million vehicles, 2015 has got off to a good start with sales up 7.0% compared with the same month last year. A total of 142,154 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers in January, a new high for the month (prev. yr. 132,906).

“This is a positive start, building on the success of last year,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW. “Looking ahead, we are aiming for further growth in 2015, despite still challenging economic conditions in some markets. There are a number of very exciting model launches coming up this year and our target is to increase global sales for a fifth successive year,” Robertson added.

BMW sales were higher than any previous January: 124,561 BMW brand vehicles were delivered to customers, 6.3% up on the same month last year (117,178). 4,247 customers took delivery of the recently launched 2 Series Active Tourer and demand for the new BMW 4 Series vehicles remains strong with a total of 8,537 delivered worldwide. The success of the BMW X family also continues. 

A total of 4,555 BMW X4s were sold in January while the BMW X5 saw significant sales growth of 40.9% compared with the same month last year (12,035 / prev. yr. 8,540). Sales of the BMW X6 showed positive growth with 2,889 delivered worldwide, 2.5% up on the previous year (2,819).

In the first month of the year, sales of the innovative BMW i vehicles totalled 1,845. Around the world, 1,416 customers took delivery of a BMW i3 while sales of the BMW i8 in January totalled 429.

Overall sales of MINI brand vehicles were also higher than ever before in January, with the brand achieving double-digit growth of 12.0% compared with the same period last year (17,373 / prev. yr. 15.510). “Following on from our core model change last year, MINI is aiming for sustainable growth in 2015,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for MINI, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce. 

“The strong sales of the new MINI 3 door and 5 door models we saw in the fourth quarter have continued into the new year and I am confident that these and other new upcoming models will see MINI building on this momentum throughout the year,” Schwarzenbauer added. Sales of the new MINI 3 door are up 33.6% on the same period last year, totalling 7,502 units (prev. yr. 5,616) and the new MINI 5 door model was delivered to a total of 3,876 customers worldwide.

Following the strategy of balanced sales across the globe, the BMW Group saw sales increase in almost all regions.

Deliveries of BMW and MINI models in Asia were up 6.6% compared with January last year (54,188 / prev. yr. 50,841) with several markets contributing to the growth. Deliveries in Mainland China increased by 7.9% (40,081 / prev. yr. 37,137) while sales in South Korea rose 16.9% (4,045 / prev. yr. 3,460).

In the Americas, a total of 27,450 BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 25,977 / +5.7%). Sales in the USA totalled 22,209, an increase of 6.8% (prev. yr. 20,796). Sales in Brazil grew by a significant 18.5%, with a total of 1,139 customer deliveries (prev. yr. 961).

The positive growth seen in Europe in 2014 continues into January, with the region posting sales up 8.5% on the same month last year. A total of 55,676 new BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers in the region in January (prev. yr. 51,333). Double-digit growth was recorded in a number of markets. 

Sales in Scandinavia were up 11.5% compared with January last year with a total of 3,300 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 2,959). Similar sales growth was seen in the Netherlands, where 1,820 vehicles were sold in January (prev. yr. 1,639 / +11.0%). Positive growth was also achieved in the BMW Group’s home market in Germany, where 19,396 new BMW and MINI vehicles were registered (prev. yr. 18,760 / +3.4%).

The year has started very positively for BMW Motorrad. A total of 6,263 maxi-scooters and motorcycles were delivered to customers, a sales increase of 15.2% compared with January last year (prev. yr. 5,438).

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BMW Group sales in January 2015 at a glance

	In January 2015	Compared to previous year
BMW Group Automobiles	142,154	+7.0%
BMW	124,561	+6.3%
MINI	17,373	+12.0%
BMW Motorrad	6,263	+15.2%

MINI to end production of three models in order to stabalise profits across the rest of the range.

To boost Mini’s prospects of long-term profitability parent BMW Group has decided the British brand needs to shrink its lineup to five models from eight. Mini is expected to discontinue three slow-selling vehicles -- the Coupe, Roadster and Paceman – so it can concentrate on the five model lines that accounted for about 95 percent of the 325,000 vehicles it built last year, according to data from IHS Automotive. 

BMW Group does not report individual financial results for the BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, which has left analysts wondering whether Mini has ever made any money.

“BMW has struggled to make Mini into a profit center from the beginning,” said Max Warburton, an auto analyst at Bernstein Research. He said that Mini’s cars are built on a low-volume platform and that the automaker has undergone “all sorts of complex model line proliferation -- it’s hardly a recipe for making money, at least compared to some of their BMW-branded products.” Mini’s industrial matrix is complex. It builds eight models underpinned by three different platforms in three different plants and has had an average annual volume of about 313,000 units in the last three years.

Warburton expects Mini to become more financially viable once it starts offering a smaller, more consistent range underpinned by a single architecture, which will be shared by BMW brand models such as the 2-series Active Tourer and the next-generation 1 series.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, the BMW board member in charge of Mini, has been a strong advocate for a radical review of the Mini range. “It is important to find the right balance between growth and profitability,” he said late last year while announcing that Mini’s range would be trimmed. Schwarzenbauer said Mini would focus on “superhero” vehicles including the three- and five-door versions of its core hatchback, the Countryman and the Clubman station wagon, which will be renewed this year.

“Like a superhero, each of these cars has its own personality and unique capabilities,” Schwarzenbauer said, without identifying which Minis would be cut and when. However, Oliver Friedmann, the Mini’s head of product management, told Automotive News Europe last year that the Coupe, Roadster and Paceman are not “a priority” in the automaker’s renewal plan. The Coupe and Roadster were conceived as small-volume variants that would help maintain interest in the brand as it transitioned to the fourth generation of its top-seller, the Mini three-door hatch, which debuted last year. IHS Automotive expects Mini to discontinue the Coupe and Roadster this year.

Industrial revamp

Mini also is counting on profits to rise following a radical industrial reorganization of its main factory in Oxford, England, that has boosted daily output to 1,000 vehicles a day from about 700. A key part of that was the switch to making cars using BMW Group’s UKL platform at the plant. The first Mini cars to be underpinned by the UKL architecture are the new three- and five-door hatchbacks. The second-generation Clubman also will use the platform when production starts in Oxford later this year. Oxford builds the Convertible, Coupe and Roadster on the platform BMW created to relaunch Mini in 2001.

Magna Steyr’s plant in Graz, Austria, builds the Countryman and Paceman using a dedicated platform. BMW confirmed it will build another model in Graz after it shifts the next-generation Countryman to another plant. IHS expects production of the new Countryman to start in 2016 at the VDL NedCar plant in Born, Netherlands. VDL began making the Mini three-door hatchback in July 2014 using the UKL platform.

Nick Gibbs and Bloomberg

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WORLDWIDE SALES - BMW GROUP - Over two million sales make 2014 another record year.

• Record worldwide sales: up 7.9% with a total of 2,117,965 deliveries
• Best ever year for BMW, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce
• MINI sales up 20.7% in December – a new record for the month
• Robertson: New models and balanced global growth key to success
• BMW i sales around 17,800; Krüger: BMW i8 production increased

The BMW Group delivered more than two million vehicles to customers in 2014, the company’s fourth record year in a row. A total of 2,117,965 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were sold, more than ever before in the Group’s history (prev. yr. 1,963,798 / +7.9%). 

All of the company’s brands finished the year strongly with sales in December up 15.2% - a total of 215,217 vehicles were delivered in the last month of the year (prev. yr. 186,786).

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW said, “I am delighted that we achieved our target of selling more than two million vehicles in 2014, a new record for the BMW Group. 

We have seen good growth throughout the year, well spread across all major sales regions. Our new models such as the BMW X4 and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer demonstrate our ability to develop new vehicles which attract new customers to the brand. The popularity of the BMW i3 and BMW i8 shows our game-changing ‘born electric’ strategy is on track. We are now looking forward to building on these successes in 2015.”

2014 was the best year ever for the BMW brand. Deliveries of BMW vehicles totalled 1,811,719, an increase of 9.5% on the previous year (1,655,138). Sales in December also achieved a new high, up 14.2% on the same month last year (177,954 / prev. yr. 155,835).

In its first full year on the market, the BMW 2 Series Coupé has been delivered to a total of 27,933 customers while 13,091 customers have taken delivery of the 2 Series Active Tourer during the three months it has been on sale. 

Sales of the segment-leading BMW 3 Series were up on last year, totalling 476,792 (prev. yr. 467,672 / +2.0%). Deliveries of the BMW 4 Series models totalled 119,580 in 2014. The BMW 5 Series, which also leads it segment globally, saw sales increase 1.7% this year, with a total of 373,053 delivered to customers worldwide (prev. yr. 366,992). The BMW X4, which went on sale in July, has been delivered to 21,688 customers while the new third-generation of the BMW X5 has increased sales by 37.4% compared to last year (147,381 / prev. yr. 107,231).

Around 17,800 customers have taken delivery of an innovative BMW i vehicle in 2014. Global deliveries of the BMW i3 total 16,052; nearly three-quarters of those sales occurred in the second half of the year, following the vehicle’s late-spring market launch in several major markets including the USA. The keys to a total of 1,741 BMW i8s have been handed over to customers since it went on sale in the summer.

Due to the success of the BMW i vehicles, their production continues to ramp up. Harald Krüger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production said, “Our production lines in Leipzig are highly flexible and we have switched more production to the i8 to reduce customer waiting times to a better level. Meanwhile, more than 100 BMW i3’s leave the plant each day. The BMW Group is the first automotive company to manufacture using significant quantities of carbon fibre in series production and the success of these cars speaks for itself.”

Despite the change in the core MINI model this year, annual sales remained around last year’s record level with a total of 302,183 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 305,030 / -1.0%). Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for MINI, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce was particularly pleased with how the year ended for the brand. 

“MINI saw its best ever fourth quarter with sales up 17.2% (94,624 / prev. yr. 80,748). It was also a record December with sales increasing 20.7% compared with the same month in 2013 (36,773 / prev. yr. 30,455). Since coming fully onto the market, sales of the new third generation MINI 3-door and the brand new MINI 5-door have been very strong.” 

In December, sales of the 3-door were up 33.9% (16,418 / prev. yr. 12,262) while a total of 6,954 customers took delivery of a 5-door MINI in the last month of 2014. The MINI Countryman saw sales grow 5.0% across the year (106,995 / prev. yr. 101,897) while deliveries of the MINI Paceman totalled 15,567 in 2014, an increase of 6.0% (prev. yr. 14,687).

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced record sales results for a fifth consecutive year, with 4,063 units (prev. yr. 3,630 / +11.9%) sold globally during 2014, more than ever before in the brand’s 111-year history. Peter Schwarzenbauer said, “Rolls-Royce has seen strong sales worldwide, with double-digit increases in most regions. This exceptional growth means that deliveries have more than quadrupled since 2009.” Sales were driven by strong orders for Ghost Series II, launched in November, and Wraith, which enjoyed its first full year of sales, while the Phantom remains the company’s pinnacle product.

BMW Motorrad has achieved a fourth successive sales record, selling over 120,000 maxi-scooters and motorcycles for the first time ever, an increase of around 7%. The exact figures will be released on Monday.

The BMW Group achieved growth in all major sales regions in 2014

In Europe, a total of 913,803 BMW and MINI brand vehicles were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 858,990 / +6.4%). All European markets have experienced growth in 2014. The BMW Group’s home market, Germany, saw sales increase 1.7% across the year with 273,433 new vehicles registered (prev. yr. 268,838). Sales in the region’s second biggest market, Great Britain, grew 8.4% in 2014 (204,749 / prev. yr. 188,837) while a total of 67,449 BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered in France, an increase of 5.3% (prev. yr. 64,082).

Sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in Asia grew by 13.8% in 2014 with sales totalling 656,395 (prev. yr. 576,616). This level of sales growth was reflected in the December figures – deliveries in the last month of the year totalled 61,295 (prev. yr. 54,546 / +12.4%). The year saw sales in Mainland China grow by 16.7%, with a total of 455,979 BMW and MINI vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 390,713). Strong sales growth was also experienced in South Korea, where 46,400 customer deliveries were made, an increase of 17.3% on the previous year (39,558).

Sales growth of 3.9% was recorded at year-end in the Americas (481,056 / prev. yr. 462,891). The USA was the region’s main growth driver in 2014, annual sales there were up 5.3% to total 395,850 (prev. yr. 375,782). Canada also saw positive growth of 1.2% (38,188 / prev. yr. 37,723) while sales in Mexico increased by 6.5% compared with the previous year (14,902 / prev. yr. 13,992).

Double-digit growth was recorded in the Middle East region with a total of 30,148 BMW and MINI vehicles sold in 2014, an increase of 22.6% compared with the previous year (24,596). December sales in the region were up 30.4% with a total of 2,511 vehicles delivered to customers in the last month of the year (prev. yr. 1,926).

BMW Group sales in/up to December 2014 at a glance

	In December 2014	Comp. to previous year	Up to/incl. December 2014	Comp. to previous year
BMW Group Automobiles	215,217	+15.2%	2,117,965	+7.9%
BMW	177,954	+14.2%	1,811,719	+9.5%
MINI	36,773	+20.7%	302,183	-0.9%
Rolls-Royce	490	-1.2%	4,063	+11.9%

UK SALES - MINI - More records broken at Oxford based car maker.

New MINI Hatch models drive British brand to new heights

• More than 53,600 MINI vehicles sold in the UK last year
• 28,000 MINI Hatch models sold in just nine months
• Fleet sales up 17 per cent with introduction of MINI 5-Door Hatch
• More than three million MINIs produced since 2001

MINI recorded record sales in the UK in 2014. In total, 53,661 MINI models found homes with UK buyers last year – 1,728 (3.3 per cent) more than the previous record set in 2013. MINI’s market share in the UK was 2.17 per cent, making it the biggest market for the brand in the world (by that measure).

The New MINI 3-Door Hatch, launched in March, continued to be the brand’s biggest seller. Alongside its all-new stablemate, the MINI 5-Door Hatch, more than 28,000 were sold last year (3-Door Hatch: 24,200 and 5-Door Hatch: 3,800). The introduction of the first-for-brand MINI 5-Door Hatch in October also saw a dramatic increase in the brand’s fleet sales – up 17 per cent year-on-year.

Elsewhere in the range, there was also a record sales year for the recently refreshed MINI Paceman. More than 4,000 were sold in 2014, which is 25 per cent more than the previous 12-month period. The Countryman had yet another strong year in the UK selling 14,169 units. 

While this isn’t a record sales figure for Countryman (14,864 were sold in 2013), it does prove that British buyers have truly taken the compact SUV to their hearts.

Chris Brownridge, Director, MINI UK, said: “This sales performance is all the more remarkable when you consider that the New MINI 3-Door Hatch – the mainstay of the MINI range – only launched in March 2014. When it arrived in showrooms, however, buyers couldn’t get enough of the iconic model.

“The great sales result last year takes the total number of MINIs sold in the UK since 2001 to nearly 600,000 – proving that the British love affair with the brand is not only alive and well, but blossoming.”

This momentum looks set to continue into 2015 with a UK order bank that’s 100 per cent larger than the same period last year and the global public unveiling of the MINI John Cooper Works at next week’s Detroit Auto Show.

Packing the most powerful engine ever for a production MINI – a 2.0-litre unit delivering 231 hp and 320 Nm – the JCW delivers 10 per cent more power and 23 per cent more torque than the previous model. This brings the 0-62 mph time down to 6.1 seconds.

MINI Production Information

• More than 3 million MINIs produced since 2001
• 2 Million MINIs exported from the UK with a value of nearly £30 billion
• Four out of five MINIs produced at MINI Plant Oxford are exported to customers in more than 110 countries around the world (biggest Export markets: USA, Germany, China, France, Italy, Japan) 

Investment & Employment

• The MINI UK production network – Plants Oxford, Hams Hall and Swindon – recently benefitted from £750 million investment. This included the installation of new, flexible, state-of-the-art production facilities to produce cars to individual customer order
• £1 billion total investment between 2000-2011
• BMW Group contributes £1.2 billion each year to UK GDP
• Employee numbers – Oxford 4,000, Swindon 800 and Hams Hall 800

Hams Hall produces three and four-cylinder engines for MINI and BMW brands. The Swindon plant is a pressing plant that produces parts and components for MINI.

MINI at the North American International Auto Show 2015.

One year after the US premiere of the new MINI, the British premium manufacturer presents another spectacular addition to the model range at the 2015 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The new MINI John Cooper Works is raring to go and now sees its world premiere at the Mecca of the US automotive industry. This model takes hallmark MINI driving fun - already intensified in the latest generation - to a level of irresistible racing passion. A particularly powerful turbo engine, suspension technology precisely attuned to the race track and an aerodynamically optimised body design give the new MINI John Cooper Works outstanding performance properties.

The new top athlete combines the enthusiasm for top performance embodied by the John Cooper Works brand with the consistently refined quality of the latest MINI generation. At NAIAS 2015, the new version of the original in the premium small car segment will demonstrate that it not only offers extreme driving fun but also provides the perfect basis for fresh diversity. In addition to the new MINI 3 door, the limelight will also be on the new MINI 5 door at the motor show in Detroit. What is more, visitors to the exhibition from January 17th - 25th 2015 will have the opportunity to see the latest additions to the program of MINI Yours special equipment features as well as a particularly fascinating concept study. 

The North American International Auto Show traditionally marks the start of the sector's global motor show calendar. It is now one of the most outstanding auto shows in the world and will be held for the 27th time in 2015. More than 200 companies will be presenting their current new models, products and technologies at the Cobo Center in Detroit. Like last year, the organisers expect NAIAS 2015 to attract more than 800,000 visitors. 

World premiere for the top athlete: the new MINI John Cooper Works.

The new MINI John Cooper Works offers extreme temperament subject to precise control, making for especially fascinating driving fun in day-to-day traffic. Typical of the John Cooper Works models, these characteristics are created by developing and harmonising technology details for the engine, suspension, body and cockpit based on in-depth racing expertise and geared towards top performance.

The most important components of this overall package are the powerful 4-cylinder turbo engine, a sports suspension including Brembo sports brake system and exclusive John Cooper Works light alloy wheels, the John Cooper Works aerodynamics kit and particularly large air inlets on the front section of the vehicle as well as a model-specific interior in sports car style. With its exclusive design and equipment features, the new MINI John Cooper Works is set more clearly apart than ever from the other models of the MINI family. It achieves significantly improved driving performance figures and a further reduced level of fuel consumption as compared to its predecessor model.

MINI Superleggera Vision: British style meets Italian flair.

Future-oriented technology and tradition-steeped automobile craftsmanship are combined in the concept study of a compact roadster created as a collaborative venture between MINI and the Italian design and body manufacturing specialist Touring Superleggera. The MINI Superleggera Vision presents a modern interpretation of a classic open-top two-seater merging British style with Italian flair. Elaborately crafted by hand, the study has an electric motor under the bonnet. The vehicle concept and design are focussed entirely on the essentials: driving fun and aesthetic appeal.

The roadster's characteristic MINI proportions derive a fascinating charismatic touch from the unmistakable Touring Superleggera lines and surface finish. The lightweight construction used for the body - another characteristic feature - contributes to pure driving fun, enthralling agility and groundbreaking efficiency. In the interior of the MINI Superleggera Vision, purist and therefore timeless aesthetic appeal is created by means of generous surfaces and high-quality materials which are especially authentic since they have largely been left in their original state.