BMW's sales in the corporate sector rose to record levels in 2011 with an increase of 10% over 2010 volumes against a rise of just 4% in overall fleet sales.

Overall it reported a rise of 8.78% in its 2011 sales increasing from 153,312 to 166,780 vehicles compared to 2010, and against a market which has seen overall sales fall by just over 4%.

BMW Group market share for the year increased to a record 8.59%. The Group has seen sales in December of 11,813 vehicles, a decrease of 2.74% from the 12,147 vehicles sold in the same period in 2010. The overall market fell by 4% in December.

"We have seen strong sales growth from BMW Group in the UK this year with sales exceeding 166,000 vehicles. BMW has not only secured its position as the UK's top premium brand in 2011 but has also recorded its second highest ever sales result in the UK," said Tim Abbott, managing director of BMW Group UK.

"Both BMW and Mini brands have outperformed the market and in particular we have seen significant growth coming from the company car market where BMW saw sales increase by 10% to a new record level. Driven by particularly strong demand for the BMW 5 Series, there has also been considerable incremental growth from the latest X3 and X1 ranges. Mini has also achieved record UK sales and market share thanks to strong performances from the MINI Countryman and the new Mini Coupé.

"Although the 2012 outlook is challenging, we are going into the year with the youngest product portfolio in the premium sector and we remain cautiously optimistic.”