BMW reported record sales in 2017 on strong demand for its sport-utility vehicles and the upgraded 1-Series compact however was outsold by Mercedes-Benz, keeping the order in the three-way German luxury sales race the same.
Sales of BMW brand models increased 4.2 percent in 2017 to 2.09 million passenger cars and SUVs, the Munich-based automaker stated on Friday, compared to a 9.9 percent gain to 2.29 million at Mercedes, which claimed the leading spot in international luxury-car sales rankings for a second year.
Registrations at Volkswagen‘s Audi premium division edged up 0.6 percent to a record 1.88 million cars, it stated on Friday, taking advantage of a 34-percent December rise in China, the brand’s largest market.
BMW, which had kept the global high-end sales crown for about a decade prior to slipping behind Mercedes in 2016, stated shipments were sustained by a 9.6 percent gain for its SUV lineup and a 15 percent boost for the 1-Series.
“I’m confident BMW sales will continue to grow throughout 2018, while we likewise maintain our focus on profitability,” stated new sales chief Pieter Nota, who replaced Ian Robertson on January 1.
BMW published a 9.5 percent gain in December registrations to 195,916 vehicles, directly beating Mercedes and Audi whose sales can be found in at 193,534 and 180,250 cars respectively.
