BMW leads Audi, Mercedes-Benz in June 2011 global luxury-sales

BMW brand topped rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz, selling more cars worldwide in June 2011. The Munich-based automaker 134,432 cars sold last month, a rise of 12.3 percent over 2010.The runner-up, Mercedes-Benz sold 120,510 cars in June, 6.4 percent increase over last year. VW-owned Audi closes the podium with a 19 percent increase or 117, 650 cars sold globally.From January until July 2011, BMW sold 689,861 units, a 17.8 percent increase. Audi tops Mercedes with 652,950 cars (17.7 percent increase). Mercedes’ sales rose 9.7 percent to 610,531 units through six months.The increased BMW’s global deliveries are directly related to the booming sales of the new 5 Series sedan and the all-new, redesigned, X3 SAV.The figures reflect strong global demand,” BMW sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson said in a statement, adding however, that due to the model cycle and the year-on-year base effects, he expects the carmaker’s growth to slow in the second half of the year. BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, sold 165,855 units in June, a rise of 15.9 percent. Between January and June, the brands’ sales were 833,366, a rise of 19.7 percent.