BMW in the fast lane
May 6, 2015
BMW Group officials said Wednesday they were satisfied with business results in the first three months of the year across all segments.
It noted that sales volumes, revenues and profit before tax all climbed to new all-time quarterly highs.
The Munich-based company's core BMW brand recorded a new sales record of 451,576 vehicles shifted to customers around the globe, up 5.4 percent from first-quarter levels a year earlier. The carmaker said sales picked up in all major regions. The BMW X5 as well as the 4, 5 and 6-series models did particularly well.
No fear of rivals Daimler, Audi
"We've got off to a good start in 2015," CEO Norbert Reithofer said in a statement while confirming the company's full-year outlook, including a tangible rise in both revenue and profits.
In Europe, BMW's three brands, also including the Mini and Rolls-Royce Motor cars, saw a 9.6-percent increase in sales, while 9.9 percent more vehicles went to the Americas and 5.1 percent more to Asia, the company reported on its investor relations website.
BMW announced its workforce had grown by 5.5 percent compared with the end of the previous year's first quarter. Overall, the group now employs almost 120,000 people globally.
hg/ng (dpa, AFP)