Chinese demand pulls BMW sales into black for third quarter. (picture alliance/dpa)
Strong demand in China and Europe propelled sales of BMW cars in the third quarter, a period that saw the German automaker post an 8.6-percent boost year-on-year.
That brought the total number of vehicles delivered during that period to 675,680, the Munich-based BMW Group, which owns the BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce marques, said on Wednesday.
This was a far stronger performance than in the second quarter, when BMW sales plunged by a quarter as Germany's key automotive industry felt the brunt of the coronavirus crisis.
However, BMW's sales performance for January to September is still lagging behind the same period last year, by 12.5 percent, the company said in a statement.
Demand in China was a key driver in the third quarter, with sales rising by 31.1 percent in that market to a total of 230,612 cars. BMW also saw a 7.1-percent increase in Europe, where 275,618 cars were sold.
But in the United States, where authorities are still struggling to bring coronavirus infection rates under control, sales dropped by 15.7 percent to 78,634 cars.
The company's core brands, BMW and Mini, both posted sales growth during the third quarter. BMW was strongest with 9.8-percent growth, reaching 585,336 units sold worldwide.
Electromobility also did well, with sales of electrified vehicles up by 46.6 percent across the BMW Group to reach 54,719 units in the July-to-September period.
BMW's competitor, Daimler, also posted strong performance in the third quarter, reporting on Tuesday a 3.9-percent year-on-year increase in sales for its flagship Mercedes-Benz cars to 613,770 units.
Notice: No person, organization and/or company shall disseminate or broadcast the above article on Xinhua Silk Road website without prior permission by Xinhua Silk Road.
A single purchase
