Overall sales (BMW and MINI) down 26.7 percent in July
MINI sales almost on par with July 2008

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported July sales of 21,253 vehicles, a decrease of 26.7 percent from the 28,977 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 135,701 vehicles, down 27.4 percent, compared to 186,890 vehicles sold in the first seven month of last year.

BMW Brand Sales
Sales of BMW brand vehicles decreased 31.5 percent in July for a total of 16,381 vehicles compared to 23,914 vehicles reported in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, BMW brand sales were down 29.3 percent to 109,944 vehicles compared to 155,427 vehicles sold in the same period of 2008.

“While the mass market may have benefited from the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ initiative, BMW did not,” said Jim O’Donnell, President of BMW of North America, LLC. “Even though BMW has a highly efficient fleet and has reduced its fuel consumption more than any other manufacturer in the U.S. over the last 15 years, the price ceiling of the CARS program is a limiting factor.”

BMW Certified Pre-Owned (CPO)
Sales of BMW’s Certified Pre-Owned vehicles were up 14.5 percent, to 9,159 CPO vehicles versus 7,998 vehicles reported in July a year ago. Year-to-date, CPO sales were up 11.9 percent, to 67,140 over the 59,984 reported in the same period of 2008.

MINI Brand Sales
MINI USA reported sales of 4,872 automobiles, with minus 3.8 percent almost on par with the 5,063 cars sold in the same month of 2008. Year-to-date, MINI USA also reported sales of 25,757 automobiles, a decrease of 18.1 percent, compared to the 31,463 cars reported in the first seven months of 2008.

“While not out of the woods yet, we are witnessing a gradual recovery in the marketplace,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA. “We saw a significant up-tick in showroom traffic throughout the country, especially in the last week of July, with some help from the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ initiative and the Western and Central Regions exceeding July 2008 results.”