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BMW Mideast sales up 13pc in H1

Dubai, July 7, 2011

BMW Group Middle East has reported a 13 per cent growth in sales for the first half of 2011 compared to the same period last year.

The German automotive manufacturer delivered a total of 9,134 BMW and MINI vehicles to customers across 14 Middle East markets, a statement said.

Abu Dhabi recorded the highest increase in sales at 32 per cent (2,247 cars); followed by Dubai with 29 per cent growth (2,014 cars), Saudi Arabia with 14 per cent growth (1,684 cars); while Kuwait saw sales improve by 13 per cent.

“Thanks to the continued commitment and dedication of our importers, the company's ongoing investment into new technologies such as BMW ConnectedDrive and the diversity of our portfolio, we continue to provide Middle East customers the very best in sheer driving pleasure,” said Reiner Braun, director of Sales and Marketing for BMW Group Middle East.

“However, we do not see success as an invitation for complacency and watching our business grow only motivates us to do even better in the coming months,” he added.

BMW

The BMW 5 Series was the top selling model with 2,186 cars sold, while the continuingly popular BMW 7 Series came in second with 2,111 cars sold. The BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupé and X5 Sports Activity Vehicle continue to be best sellers with 1,385 and 1,206 cars sold respectively.

MINI

During the first half of 2011, sales for the brand increased 61 per cent across eight Middle East markets with 471 cars sold.

Markets that performed well included Dubai with an increase of 135 per cent (174 cars), Abu Dhabi with 76 per cent (104 cars), Saudi Arabia with 76 per cent (37 cars) growth, Kuwait with 74 per cent, Oman 10 per cent (22 cars) and Lebanon with 13 per cent growth (45 cars).

While MINI sales continue to be led by the MINI Hatch, January’s launch of the new MINI Countryman – the first MINI with four doors and four wheel drive capabilities – was a strong contributing factor to the brand's first half success, with 104 cars sold across the region.

In addition, three new dedicated MINI showrooms were launched in Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to cater for the brand’s progressive growth. The second half of 2011 will see MINI diversify, with the launch of the all-new MINI Coupé.

BMW Premium Selection

Sales for BMW Premium Selection, the company’s pre-owned car programme increased 30 per cent with 1,343 vehicles sold.

The UAE was the biggest seller of BMW Premium Selection cars, accounting for 35 per cent of the region's total sales (552 cars); Dubai grew 48 per cent selling 300 cars and Abu Dhabi 22 per cent with sales of 252 cars. Qatar sales grew by 152 per cent (156 cars); Saudi Arabia by 55 per cent (325 cars) and Kuwait saw an increase of 25 per cent.

“Our primary aim for the coming months will be to build on this impressive performance and we expect the launch of three new models: the BMW 6 Series Coupé, BMW M5 and the MINI Coupé to help us achieve this,” Braun said.

“Together with our importer partners we look forward to continuing our growth in 2011,” he added.

Globally, BMW Group’s retail volume for the year to the end of June increased by more than 137,000 units to 833,366 vehicles, which represents a growth of 19.7 per cent compared to the first half of 2010.

In June, the BMW brand delivered 134,432 (119,663 in 2010) vehicles to customers worldwide – an increase of 12.3 per cent. Year-to-date, BMW brand sales rose 17.8 per cent to 689,861 automobiles (585,750 in 2010).  – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Middle East | Dubai | MINI | BMW Group | 2011 | First half sales |

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