BMW worldwide sales grow 8 per cent

BMW Group’s relentless growth seems unstoppable as it achieved its fifth record year in succession in 2014, underlining its position as the world's leading premium car company.

Sales volume surpassed the two-million mark for the first time in the BMW Group’s history, climbing by 7.9 per cent to a total of 2,117,965 units (2013: 1,963,798 units).

"We continued to perform well during the past year, achieving new highs for sales volume, revenues and group earnings," stated Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG.

"Tailwinds caused by high customer demand for our vehicles worldwide are driving up sales volumes. Our Strategy Number ONE, which we regularly refine as we go forward, continues to contribute to our business performance," continued Reithofer.

Group revenues grew 5.7 per cent in 2014 to € 80,401 million (2013: € 76,059 million). Profit before financial result (EBIT) rose 14.3 per cent to € 9,118 million (2013: € 7,978 million), thanks primarily to sales volume growth and a high-value model mix. 

Group profit before tax (EBT) increased by 10.3 per cent to a new high level of € 8,707 million (2013: € 7,893 million), while net profit improved 9.2 per cent to € 5,817 million (2013: € 5,329 million). It represented also a new record high for the BMW Group. 

The board of management and the supervisory board have proposed to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting today that the dividend be increased to a new high of € 2.90 (2013: € 2.60) per share of common stock and € 2.92 (2013: € 2.62) per share of preferred stock, corresponding to a distribution ratio of 32.7 per cent (2013: 32.0 per cent).

Automotive segment revenues grew by 6.4 per cent to € 75,173 million (2013: € 70,630 million) on the back of good sales volume figures and new models.  Segment profit before tax increased 5.0 per cent to € 6,886 million (2013: € 6,561 million).

The BMW brand retained its leading position in the premium segment in 2014 by posting a new record sales volume figure. Sales climbed by 9.5 per cent to 1,811,719 units (2013: 1,655,138 units), driven by sales of the BMW 3, 4 and 5 Series and the BMW X5. 

                                 Brand-by-brand sales

The BMW 2 Series recorded a total sales volume of 41,038 units in 2014. Sales of the BMW 3 Series fell slightly in 2014 with 480,214 units sold (2013: 500,332 units). The Convertible and Coupé models have been incorporated into the BMW 4 Series since the end of 2013, as a result of which, the previous year's total was not quite achieved.

The BMW 4 Series witnessed a sales volume of 119,580 units (2013: 14,763 units). The BMW 5 Series sales increasing to 373,053 units (2013: 366,992 units; +1.7 per cent). Sales of the BMW X5 climbed 37.4 per cent to 147,381 units (2013: 107,231 units).

BMW i vehicles recorded a total sales volume of 17,793 units in the year under report. Worldwide sales of the BMW i3 totalled 16,052 units, a large proportion of which arose during the second half of the year, following the model’s launch in various major markets, including the US. The BMW i8 achieved sales of 1,741 units since its market launch in summer 2014.

With a sales volume of 302,183 units, MINI sales held on almost at the previous year's high level despite the changeover of the brand's core model to its third generation (2013: 305,030 units; -0.9 per cent). Sales of the MINI Hatch increased to 140,051 units (2013: 128,498 units). The number of MINI Countryman sold also increased year-on-year by five per cent to 106,995 units (2013: 101,897 units).

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars consolidated its position as market leader in the ultra-luxury segment in 2014, surpassing the 4,000-unit sales volume threshold for the first time. Overall, the number of vehicles sold during the year rose 11.9 per cent to 4,063 units (2013: 3,630 units), including 1,906 units (2013: 492 units) of the Wraith, launched in autumn 2013.

The BMW Group recorded sales volume growth in all major sales regions with the four largest sales markets for BMW over the past year being China, the US, Germany and Great Britain.

Sales in Europe increased year-on-year by 6.4 per cent to a total of 914,587 units (2013: 859,546 units). Markets in Asia grew strongly as the BMW Group sold 658,384 units (2013: 578,678 units) in the region, 13.8% more than the previous year.

Sales on the Chinese mainland grew 16.6 per cent to 456,732 units (2013: 391,713 units). The BMW Group increased sales in the Americas, with the number sold increasing 4.0 per cent to 482,257 units (2013: 463,822 units), including 396,961 units (2013: 376,636 units) sold in the USA (+5.4 per cent).

Motorcycle segment revenues grew 11.6 per cent year-on year to € 1,679 million (2013: € 1,504 million). EBIT jumped by 41.8 per cent to € 112 million (2013: € 79 million), while profit before tax advanced by 40.8 per cent to € 107 million (2013: € 76 million). Sales volume increased by 7.2 per cent to 123,495 units (2013: 115,215 units), thus outperforming the market as a whole.

BMW Motorrad's five largest markets were Germany, the US, France, Italy and Brazil.

BMW Group’s workforce increased 5.4 per cent compared to the previous year. Overall, the BMW Group had a worldwide workforce of 116,324 employees at the end of the reporting period (2013: 110,351 employees). The increase mainly reflected the need for engineers and skilled workers in order to keep pace with rising demand for vehicles on the one hand and to drive innovation and develop new technologies on the other.

BMW Group will launch 15 new models or model revisions over the course of 2015, and is therefore forecasting an increase in sales volume worldwide. The Group will be disappointed with five per cent growth, but looking at best to hit 8 per cent to get within striking distance in 2017 of hitting €100 billion sales. BMW Group has sales per head of employed of nearly €700,000.