BMW Group U.S. sales up 6.1 pct in April

In the United States, BMW Group sales rose 6.1 percent in April to 26,793 vehicles, as demand for the new 6-series and X5 sports utility vehicle helped offset a slump in sales of Mini vehicles.

Sales of BMW branded vehicles increased 12.0 percent, with demand for the 6-series up 93 percent and sales of the X5 up 51 percent in the U.S.

The biggest seller by volume was the 3-series, with demand up 21 percent to 9,003 cars.

Year-to-date, the BMW brand sales are up 15.7 percent to 82,611 vehicles, compared to 71,417 sold in the first four months of 2011, BMW said.

By contrast, April sales of Mini branded vehicles fell 11 percent year-on-year.

Year-to-date, BMW Group is up 13.7 percent on sales of 102,522 in the first four months of 2012 compared to 90,204 in the same period in 2011.

"The momentum of the first quarter proved strong enough to give us a good result in April and I expect solid growth to continue through the rest of Spring and into Summer," said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. "There's no shortage of desire in the market, now it's all about having the right models and being able to meet growing demand."