Mini sales exceed BMW expectations

Sales of the new British-built Mini have exceeded expectations of the car’s German makers BMW, it was disclosed today.

In particular, the Mini Cooper has been doing particularly well, BMW said today.

A total of 62,142 Minis were sold worldwide in the first half of this year, with the Mini Cooper accounting for 38,816 of them, BMW announced.

Today’s figures followed last month’s announcement that production of the Mini at the Cowley plant in Oxford in England was being increased from 100,000 to 120,000 units a year.

BMW Group said the company’s total sales for the first half of 2002 reached 543,742 cars - 18.2% more than the January-June 2001 period.

The company is now on course to top the one million sales mark in 2002 - the first time this figure has been reached.