BMW 2017 car sales hit 2.09 m record but Mercedes keeps lead

BERLIN (Reuters): BMW sales rose to a new record last year on strong demand for sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and the 1-Series compact, but the brand was again outsold by rival Mercedes-Benz whose deliveries increased twice as fast.

Sales of the BMW brand were up 4.2% in 2017 to 2.09 million passenger cars and SUVs, compared with a 9.9% gain or 2.29 million at Mercedes, which claimed the top spot in global luxury-car sales rankings for a second year.

BMW deliveries were fuelled by demand for SUVs which increased 9.6% in 2017 on year-earlier figures and the 1-Series, sales of which jumped 15%. Brand deliveries were up 9.5% to 195,916 cars.

“I’m confident BMW sales will continue to grow during 2018, while we also maintain our focus on profitability,” said new sales chief Pieter Nota, who replaced Ian Robertson on 1 January.

BMW aims to outsell Mercedes by 2020

FRANKFURT  (Reuters) - BMW aims to overtake rival Mercedes-Benz in terms of annual deliveries within two years, Chief Executive Harald Krueger told German monthly Manager Magazin.

“In 2020 we will be the No.1 in terms of unit sales again. I am holding my team to that target, even if it won’t be a walk in the park,” the magazine quoted Krueger as saying in an interview published on Thursday.

BMW slipped behind Mercedes in 2016, after holding onto the global luxury sales crown for about a decade.

It reported record sales in 2017 on strong demand for its sport-utility vehicles and the overhauled 1-Series compact but was still outsold by Mercedes, owned by Daimler.