BMW Group deliveries of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce cars rose 8% in November this year to 188,342, thanks to a continued strong demand in China and a 20% rise of its BMW and Mini sales in the UK. Sales of BMW branded vehicles climbed 6% to 158,953 in November. Sales of Mini cars were up 17% to 29,018 last month, boosted by the launch of the new five-door Mini. Group sales increased 7% to 1.90 million through November. BMW brand sales rose 9% to 1.63 million, while Mini sales fell 3% to 265,404.
BMW Group also launched its car-sharing service in London, barely 6 months after rival Daimler said it was shutting its equivalent initiative in the UK. Already in the United States, Germany and Austria, BMW’s DriveNow service operates in partnership with car rental firm Sixt and allows users who pay a one-off registration fee to locate and open their nearest car by card or via a mobile phone app.
DriveNow will start in three boroughs in North London and customers will be able to return vehicles anywhere within the zone.
The scheme will begin operating with 210 BMW 1-Series and Mini Countryman models, which will be joined by 30 electric i3 compact hatchbacks in the first quarter. During the course of 2015, the automaker plans to expand its fleet in the capital to 300 cars. In May, Daimler axed its Car2Go operation from the UK, citing the country’s strong culture and tradition of private vehicle ownership, though it continues to operate in cities around the world including Berlin and Rome in Europe and Washington D.C., Seattle and Austin in the U.S.
