BMW has posted record car sales for 2011 and forecast that a boom in luxury cars would keep it ahead of rivals this year as the world’s biggest maker of premium cars sees strong demand from China and the US.

German car maker BMW said today that sales hit a record high during 2006, boosted by new versions of its 3-Series models.

British Chancellor Gordon Brown today toured the BMW plant in Cowley, Oxford, to see the start of production for the new Mini.