During the period January to October 2009, the BMW Group Latin America and the Caribbean sold 11,289 vehicles of its brands BMW and MINI up one per cent over the previous year according to a BMW report.

This performance is against the background of an overall 7.3 per cent decrease in the core premium car market in the same period.

In October, 1,740 BMW and MINI units were sold in the region, a growth of 52 per cent over 2008 figures. BMW sold 1,429 vehicles, recording a 34 per cent increase, while 311 MINIs were sold racking up a whopping 299 per cent increase over October last year.

BMW said that the achievements in October were the result of the good performance in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Panama.

“Even though the market experienced a decrease in 2009, BMW and MINI are growing in the region,” said Gernot Volkmer, CEO BMW Group Latin America and the Caribbean:

“Latin American customers do value the reliable quality, sporty performance and the elegant design of our products and this is the reason for our leadership in the premium car market. The joy of driving is our key value,” he added.

According to BMW the brand continues to perform successfully as a result of its renewed premium product program that started in 2009 with the launch of its flagship, the new BMW 7 Series, the new BMW Z4 Roadster, and the M versions of the BMW X5 and BMW X6.

BMW said that the product offensive will continue with the launch of the first premium compact SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) in the region, the new BMW X1, as well as with the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo scheduled to arrive in Latin America by early 2010.

Stewart Motors has represented BMW in Jamaica, since 2005.

Outlining its successes BMW revealed that until October 2009 a total of 9,855 BMW vehicles were delivered in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. The company said that the 3 Series sedan remains the best-selling model in the core premium car market with 3,892 units retailed in 10 months reflecting a 41 per cent share of the premium small sedan segment

The Sports Activity Coupe (SAC) BMW X6 continued to create a new segment, and showed a strong growth per October particularly in Brazil with 304 units and Argentina with 174 units

MINI

The sales performance of the MINI from January until October shows a growth of 115 per cent over the previous year, according to the German automaker. BMW said that the Brazilian market launched MINI in the first quarter of 2009 and has achieved sales of 652 units in seven months.

The core premium car market includes the three German top premium brands BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi that offer comparable model ranges.