BMW Group has announced that the global deliveries of its three automotive brands BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce together has increased by 0.5 percent in January , with a  total of 170,463 units.

In the month of January, the BMW brand delivered 149,616 vehicles globally that led to a YoY increase of 0.8 percent. Sales of BMW X3 (22,818, a YoY rise of +138.3%) and BMW X4 (4,397, a YoY rise of +36.9%).  Mainland China was the company’s main growth driver in January, with a sales increase of 15.5% (63,135) in the month. Much of that growth is due to the full availability of the BMW 5 Series and the locally produced BMW X3, which went into production in China in the summer of last year. Significant model changeovers in the USA led to a sales decrease (20,559 / -6.3%) in the company’s second-largest market, while several European markets continue to be affected by economic headwinds.

BMW Motorrad is said to have begun 2019 with a 1.5 percent increase in sales. In total, 8,578 premium BMW Motorrad motorcycles and maxi-scooters were delivered to customers around the world in January 2019.

Sales charts get an electrified boost

As compared to January 2018, BMW Group Electrified sold 1.4 percent more vehicles in January 2019 with a total of 7,234 units. The introduction of the new BMW 330e and the new BMW X5 xDrive45e later this year is expected to support further sales growth of the company’s range of electrified vehicles. The BMW i3 is the company’s best-selling electrified vehicle; the introduction late last year of an optional new, more powerful battery helped grow i3 sales in January to 2,598, 30.4% more than in the same month last year. The BMW 530e was also a significant growth driver, with deliveries up 82.0% (1,722).

Built on the success of the Mini Countryman Cooper S E plug-in hybrid, the Mini Electric – the fully-electric car will be introduced to the public later this year.