BMW Group USA Reports May 2008 Sales

BMW Group US sales (BMW and MINI combined) up 3.1 percent in May. MINI sales reached all-time sales record.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., June 3 -- The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) today reported May vehicle sales of 31,781, an increase of 3.1 percent from the 30,819 vehicles sold in the same month of 2007. For the first five months of 2008, BMW Group sales are down 2.4 percent, to 131,758 vehicles versus the 134,944 sold January through May of 2007.

BMW Brand Sales

BMW brand sales were down 4.6 percent, to 25,469 vehicles compared to 26,689 vehicles sold in May 2007. Year-to-date, BMW reported sales of 110,569 vehicles compared to the 119,359 reported in the same period a year ago, a decline of 7.4 percent.

"In spite of the small decline we saw in May, we see that buyers of premium vehicles remain active in the market. This continues to help keep our turn rates strong and momentum maintained through this difficult period," said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO of BMW (US) Holding Corp. "In addition, we are finding that buyers respond positively to the fact that premium products can also be efficient and smart purchases. This is a message we continue to communicate about our BMW lineup."

BMW Automobile Sales

BMW's automobile sales are down 7.2 percent in May to 19,884 versus 21,421 in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date sales are down 6.8 percent, to 86,967 automobiles compared to 93,327 in the same period of 2007.

BMW Sports Activity Vehicles

Sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles are up 6 percent in May to 5,585 vehicles over the 5,268 sold last May. Year-to-date, sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles decreased by 9.3 percent, to 23,602 vehicles compared to the 26,032 sold in the same period of 2007.

MINI Brand Sales

MINI USA reported an all-time record in May. The brand sold 6,312 cars, a 52.8 percent increase compared to 4,130 cars sold in the same period a year ago. MINI USA also reported sales of 21,189 cars for the first five months of 2008, an increase of 36 percent over the 15,585 vehicles sold in the same period a year ago.

Both the MINI Cooper and Cooper S, as well as the new MINI Clubman were very well received during the month of May.

Says Jim McDowell, Vice-President MINI USA: "Dealers are seeing a wide range of trade-ins including a lot of full-size SUVs and pick-up trucks as America thinks more about the cost of fuel. As a result, we are seeing more consideration for small premium vehicles like MINI than ever before."

BMW Certified Pre-Owned reports its best sales month ever in May 2008 with 9,616 CPO vehicles sold versus 8,468 vehicles reported last May, an increase of 13.6 percent. Year-to-date, CPO sales are up 26.5 percent, to 44,077 over the 34,844 reported in the same period in 2007.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models, X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.