Staff Report
Published Oct. 3, 2012

U.S. sales of the South Carolina-built X3 sports activity vehicle climbed 63.7% in September, BMW Group reported Tuesday.

U.S. sales of the South Carolina-built X3 sports activity vehicle climbed 63.7% in September. (Photo/BMW Group)

BMW sold 3,034 X3s in September compared with 1,853 for the same month in 2011. For the year, sales of X3s are up 17.9% to 22,591 units, BMW said.

September sales of the larger X5 slipped 0.7% to 3,850 units while X6 sales were flat at 612 units for the month. Year-to-date, X5 sales were up 14% to 29,682 units, while X6 sales are down 4.6% at 4,226 units.

BMW brand vehicles posted a 0.1% gain in September with 21,761 vehicles sold compared to 21,750 sold in September 2011. Year-to-date, the BMW brand is up 4.9% on sales of 186,397 units compared with 177,679 sold for a similar period in 2011, the company said.

Looking ahead, a BMW executive said he’s optimistic about sales in the fourth quarter.

"The economic indicators and consumer confidence are showing improvement and the traffic in our showrooms is further encouraging our optimism for the fourth quarter of the year as the BMW new model ramp-up continues," said Ludwig Willisch, president and CEO of BMW North America.

BMW employs about 7,000 people at its Upstate facility, which represents a $5 billion investment.

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