BMW Posts Record Sales, Revenues, Profits in 2014

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

BMW i8

courtesy of BMW
Munich-based automaker BMW Group disclosed its 2014 results Thursday morning, and the company said that it had its fifth consecutive record-setting year. Unit sales surpassed 2 million vehicles for the first time ever, revenues rose 5.7% to €80.4 billion and net profit rose 9.2% to €5.82 billion.

The company said it would propose a raise in its annual dividend from €2.6 to €2.9 at the firm’s annual meeting in mid-May. Rival Germany-based automaker Volkswagen announced this morning that it will propose a 20% increase in its annual dividend from €4.0 to €4.8 at its annual meeting, also scheduled for May.

BMW sold nearly 397,000 vehicles in the United States in 2014 to establish itself as the top-selling luxury car maker in the country.

The company’s new 2 Series sold more than 41,000 units worldwide, and the venerable 3 Series sold more than 480,000 units, compared with more than 500,000 in 2013. That drop was more than offset by sales of the 4 Series, which had worldwide sales of nearly 120,000 units in 2014, compared with just 15,000 in the prior year. Sales of the 5 Series also rose nearly 2% to 373,000 units. BMW said that its 3-, 4- and 5-Series cars were global leaders in their market segments.

BMW’s X5 crossover had a worldwide sales jump of 37% to more than 147,000 units, and the company’s i3 electric and i8 plug-in hybrid sold around 16,000 and 1,700 units, respectively.

The company’s Mini brand had slightly lower unit sales, and the Rolls-Royce segment sold more than 4,000 cars for the first time ever.

Vehicle sales in Europe rose 6.4% year-over-year, 13.8% in Asia and 4.0% in the Americas. Sales in mainland China rose 16.6% to more than 456,000 units.

ALSO READ: How Gas Prices Affect Car Buyers

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

GLW Vol: 24,307,400
KLA
KLAC Vol: 14,628,648
WDC Vol: 11,268,872
AMAT Vol: 14,164,881
AXON Vol: 1,847,989

Top Losing Stocks

HON Vol: 7,773,157
CTRA Vol: 73,319,495
SMCI Vol: 91,227,161
CPRT Vol: 18,101,097
ULTA Vol: 895,681