Mumbai, July 07: BMW hails smaller-than-expected decline in its car salesMunich – Sales data released Tuesday from German carmaker BMW showed world sales of its cars declined less steeply in June than earlier this year, bringing hope that the recession may be bottoming out.
BMW Group sold 127,546 vehicles in the month, a fall of 12.7 per cent. But that was less abrupt than the average 19.5-per-cent decline over the first six months of 2009.
“There are first signs of a slight recovery on the car market,” said chief marketing officer Ian Robertson in Munich. “Whether it is a sustained trend remains to be seen.”
The group sells premium BMW cars and motorbikes and Mini and Rolls-Royce cars. Its world sales slumped sharply at the start of the year as the recession bit around the world.
Robertson said BMW had gained some market share in the premium segment. BMW said its sales of 8,506 cars in one month in China set a new record for the brand, jumping from 5,893 in the matching month of last year.
In Canada, BMW managed to sell more than 3,000 cars in one month for the first time.
—Agencies