BMW said yesterday that its global sales fell 2.8 percent last month because of "difficult economic trends."
Despite the dip, the company posted record sales for the January-June period.
The Munich-based car maker said sales of its BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brands increased by 4.7 percent in the first six months of the year to 764,874 vehicles compared to 730,285 from January-June in 2007.
Despite the record-setting half-year performance, BMW said it was unable to avoid the economic trends in important markets such as the United States and Japan. The auto maker said global sales in June slipped 2.8 percent with 146,138 cars sold compared to 150,308 a year ago.
Deliveries of the BMW brand rose 2.4 percent from January to June with 637,569 vehicles sold compared with 622,415 a year ago. Mini sales were up nearly 18 percent in the first half to 126,810 cars. There were 495 Rolls-Royces sold in the first six months compared with 294 in the same period last year.
Shares of BMW were trading up 1.5 percent at 24.33 euros (US$37.95).