2014 U.S. Vehicle Sales Rise to 16.5 Million Units, from Auto Dealer Monthly.
December’s total new-vehicle sales increased 10.8% vs. a year ago to 1.5 million units, according to Autodata Corp., capping off a year in which sales increased 5.9% from a year ago to 16.5 million units. December’s seasonally adjusted annual rate did fall from November’s 17.2 million-unit rate — the highest rate of the year — to 16.92 million, but December’s SAAR was still the second highest rate of the year. The following is a breakdown of sales performance by manufacturer.
BMW: The BMW Group reported a 9.5% sales increase in December over the same month a year ago, with sales totaling 48,141 vehicles sold. The company sold 375,782 vehicles for all of 2014, a 5.3 % increase and a new U.S. sales record.
The best-performing vehicles for BMW in December were the 3 and 4 series, with sales of those models increasing 16.3% to 19,464 units. Reflecting the current popularity of SUVs, sales of the OEM’s X5 increased 18% from a year ago to 47,031 units sold in December.
Mini sold 10,000 fewer units, a 15.6% decrease, in 2014 than it did in 2013, with sales totaling 56,112 units. However, the brand did score its best December on record, selling 6,615 units for the month.