BMW Drives on to New Sales Records in 2004

BMW, the German luxury car maker, said Monday it achieved new sales records last year and hopes to increase sales again this year. BMW said in a statement it handed over a total 1.209 million of its BMW-brand, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars to customers in 2004, 9.4 percent more than in 2003. For the first time ever, sales of BMW-brand cars alone topped the one million mark, rising by 10.3 percent to 1.024 million vehicles, the statement said. "Demand for the Mini is also still robust three and a half years after its market launch in July 2001," BMW boasted. Mini sales last year rose by 4.5 percent to 184,357. And sales of Rolls-Royce cars zoomed ahead to 792 in 2004 from 300 from 2003. Chairman Helmut Panke was confident unit sales would increase again this year. "We will continue to increase sales of the BMW group after the record year 2004," he said.