Strong Mini demand drives up BMW

BMW has now produced more than one million Minis

German carmaker BMW saw its group-wide sales rise 7% last month, helped by strong demand for its UK-made Mini.

BMW said sales of the Mini, which was revamped last autumn, rose 14% in May from a year earlier to 19,864 cars.

Meanwhile, sales of the firm's core BMW brand rose 5.8% last month to 108,488, lifted by the popularity of its latest X5 model and new 3 Series coupe.

The Munich-based group now forecasts it will sell 1.4 million BMWs, Minis and Rolls-Royce cars this year.

At BMW's main German rivals, Mercedes-Benz saw its sales grow just 2.9% last month, while those at Audi have added a monthly average of 10% this year.

Last month BMW reported that its profit fell 34% in the first three months of 2007 following heavy investment in new models.