Great news for BMW:
BMW AG (BMW.XE) is poised to retain the crown as the world’s best-selling luxury car maker in 2009 after it reported an 11% rise in sales at its core brand in November, the latest sign that the market recovery in the premium segment is firming up. “Since September, sales have been back on the growth track. In November we achieved another substantial increase in our global deliveries. We intend to continue this trend in December,” BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said in a statement. Sales for the BMW brand were 90,383 cars last month, with the revamped Z4 roadster and the flagship 7-series sedan achieving the highest growth rates year-on-year. Sales of the Z4 soared to 1,760 cars from 706 in November, 2008. The 7-series sedan posted a 57% sales rise to 5,025 cars. BMW 3-series and 5-series sales were up 3.4% and 3.7% in November at 32,230 and 14,164 vehicles, respectively. Sales for BMW’s compact 1-series models were 16,614 vehicles in November, up 11.7% on the year. – from WSJ