Crisis? What crisis? While most car manufactures around the world are seeing their sales plummet in 2008, BMW's M-Division is flourishing in this harsh economic environment having exceeded the previous year's equivalent figures during the first 11 months of 2008 by over 50 per cent! From January to November 2008, BMW has sold 22,340 M-Model cars worldwide compared to 14,092 vehicles in the same period in 2007. In November 2008 alone some 1,900 BMW M automobiles were delivered around the globe. As long ago as August 2008 the worldwide sales figures of BMW M GmbH reached 16,150 units, thus surpassing last year's total figure of 16,128 units.
"The fact that our dealers were able to supply significantly more vehicles than the average of the last nine months even in such dramatic times for the world economy demonstrates the fascination and attraction which BMW M automobiles exercise on our customers," said Ludwig Willisch, President of BMW M GmbH.
A major contribution to BMW M's runaway success in 2008 has been the introduction of the all-new M3 which is now offered in three body variations (Coupe, Sedan and Convertible). The high-performance sports car sold almost twice as well in its first year of production than its predecessor model did within the same period.
Currently, BMW M offers seven models that include three body types of the M3, the BMW M5 Sedan and Touring as well as the M6 Coupe and M6 Convertible.
Overall, BMW brand sales in 2008 for the first 11 months of the year, are down 3.5% compare to the same period in 2007 to 1,105,112 units.
