The BMW Group set a new record by in March 2016 by selling more vehicles than in any other single month in the company’s 100 year history. A total of 240,659 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles were sold globally, an increase of 3.5% on the same month last year. In the first three months of the year, sales increased 5.9%, totalling 557,605 vehicles.

Commenting on the sales, Dr Ian Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing said, “March 2016 has been the best single month ever for BMW Group sales and I’m delighted to see that our innovative product range is enabling us to achieve ongoing, sustainable and profitable growth. Globally, I am confident that we will see this positive trend continue through the year.”

Moreover, the BMW brand saw sales crossing the 200,000 mark in a month for the first time as a total of 201,352 BMWs were handed over to customers in March, up 2.9% year-on-year (YoY). The brand also achieved record sales for the first three months of the year, with a total of 478,743 vehicles sold (+6.0%). The growth in sales is spread throughout the brand’s model range. For example, in the first three months of the year, sales of the BMW 2 Series grew 56.3% compared with the same period last year, totalling 43,657 units. Sales of the BMW X1 are up 67.7% on the first quarter of last year, with total sales of 51,002 units. The X3 achieved a sales increase of 27.2% (38,719 units) while sales of the X6 rose 15.1% (11,043 units). The brand’s flagship model, the new BMW 7 Series, sold 10,588 units in the first three months of 2016, an increase of 20.3% YoY.

Also read: BMW 5 Series crosses 2 million sales landmark

Further, a total of 5,128 BMW i electric vehicles were sold globally in the first three months of 2016, with 2,255 of those sold in March.

Just like the Group’s record, Mini sales were higher in March 2016 than in any previous single month in the brand’s history with sales of 39,061 units, up 6.6% YoY. In the first quarter of 2016, the brand’s sales also achieved a new record high with 78,311 units sold, up 5.4% YoY.

“Customers around the world are responding to the attractive new models we have in our line-up, as is proven by our record sales,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG management board member responsible for Mini, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce. “The recently launched Mini Clubman in particular is attracting new customers, with a total of over 12,000 sold so far this year,” he added.

Despite the Group’s record sales, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars managed to sell 551 units in Jan-March 2016, a decrease of 29.4% YoY. The high demand for Dawn has necessitated a rebalancing of production assets within Rolls-Royce's Goodwood-based manufacturing plant, impacting on Q1 production capacity.

Sales by region

BMW and MINI saw their positive sales trend in Europe continue, with sales in the first three months totalling 256,973 units, up 9.5% YoY. Many markets in the region achieved sales growth, with double-digit increases recorded in several markets including the UK (59,121 / +10.6%), France (20,811 / +10.7%) and Spain (13,839 / +22.7%).

Sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in Asia increased by 10% compared with the first quarter of last year, with a total of 182,982 units sold. In Mainland China, deliveries rose 10.5% (127,105), sales in South Korea increased 15.0% (14,465) and deliveries in Japan climbed 8.9% (18,668).

Meanwhile in the Americas, year-to-date sales of BMW and MINI vehicles were down 8.6%, with a total of 100,081 units delivered to customers. While sales totalling 81,452 in the USA were 10.8% down on the same period last year, deliveries in Canada rose 10.9% (8,751).

March was also an all-time record month for BMW Motorrad, with deliveries up 3.5% (16,465). Around the world, a total of 33,788 BMW motorcycles and maxi-scooters were sold so far in 2016 (+7.7%).

Read more: BMW Group posts 7.9 percent rise in global sales in February