Last month, BMW of North America sold more BMWs in the merry month of May than in any May in its history. BMW sales were up 4.7 percent over a year ago. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 31,003 units delivered in May 2015 versus 29,602 in the same month in 2014.
“The summer driving season is getting underway and judging by the record May for BMW it’s clear the demand is still strong for new cars across the U.S.” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “The momentum continues as we celebrate 40 years of the iconic BMW 3 Series and look for more news to come from BMW in the days ahead.”
The BMW 3 and 4 Series led the May numbers with 12,868 cars sold. That’s a 17.9 percent increase over last year. Percentage-wise, however, it was the BMW X5 that picked up the pace with a 34.3 percent jump. BMW NA moved 5,797 of its biggest Sports Activity Vehicle in May.
Other segments of BMW NA’s offerings were likewise showing strength in May. Dealers sold 11,105 Certified Pre-Owned BMWs, an increase of 21 percent from last May. That was a ray of sunshine for a year in which BMW CPO sales year to date are trailing 2014’s numbers by about 5.6 percent so far.
Mini sales were up 1.8 percent over May 2014 with a respectable 5,729 units sold. Perhaps even more profound were the sales of 1,100 Mini Next (certified pre-owned) vehicles, a whopping 40.3 percent boost over May of last year.
For our friends and readers who ride BMW motorcycles in addition to or instead of BMW cars, the news was equally exciting. BMW Motorrad also set an all-time record for the month of May, sending 2,034 two-wheelers out the door. This represented a 19.6 percent jump from May 2014.
While we’re talking about record Mays, we don’t want to leave out our friends to the North. BMW Group Canada also had its best May ever with sales of 3,633 BMWs and 814 Minis, which represented increases over May 2014 of 20.3 percent for BMWs and a 77 percent comeback for Minis.
In the U.S. premium vehicle sales competition for 2015, BMW’s record month allowed it to close the gap on current front-runner Mercedes-Benz. Through May 2015, BMW trails Mercedes-Benz by only 479 vehicles. So far, Mercedes-Benz has sold 136,926 vehicles compared to BMW at 136,447.
It’s still neck and neck and this year’s race isn’t even half over.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
