BMW Grows 10 Percent in December, Drops Just as Much in 2009

The last month of 2009 proved to be much better than the entire year for most carmakers, as nearly all posted increased sales over the rest of the year. Even if this growth can be easily explained by the fact that December 2008 marked the begging of the decline for the auto industry, the fact that the "+" sign now sits in front of the sales reports can do nothing but please carmakers and leave room for hope.

The Germans from BMW reported a 10 percent increase in sales in December 2009, with 123,751 vehicles finding new owners in the last month of the year. For the full year, BMW decreased by the same percentage, selling 1,435,876 vehicles worldwide.

“We have succeeded in remaining the world’s leading premium car company in 2009. Despite difficult economic conditions we have been steadily gaining ground since April; from September, sales have been back on the growth track. We ended the fourth quarter with volumes up 7.7%. The decrease in sales for 2009 turned out to be smaller than expected,” Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management said in a release.

In 2009, the BMW brand sold 1,068,770 vehicles, an 11 percent decrease over 2008. The group gained from MINI, which brought to the table a loss on only 6.8 percent, while it lost big time on account of Rolls Royce, which posted a decrease BMW forgot to mention. Still, the fact that out of the 1,002 Rolls Royces sold in 2009 150 were the Ghosts delivered in December makes BMW's management look calmly into the future.

“Demand for the Ghost has been exceptional and the latest Rolls-Royce has been met with universal acclaim from customers, the media and enthusiasts alike,” Robertson added.