German luxury car maker BMW has recorded its highest ever half yearly sales in India. In the first half of the current year, the company’s sales stood at 5,867 units. This is an increase of about five per cent compared to the same period last year. BMW’s portfolio includes SUVs like the X1, X3 and X5 and coupes and sedans like the 3 Series, 5 Series and 6 Series.

It also sells Electric Vehicles (EVs) like the iX1 and i4 in the country. It also owns the BMW Motorrad brand for luxury motorcycles, whose sales grew by over 50 percent. Vikram Pawah, president of the company’s unit in India, said, “The luxury car market is growing. We got a lot of growth from the launch of new models. In the first four months of this year, there was a supply shortage and our new models did not come. Due to this, most of the increase in sales happened in May and June.” SUVs account for more than 50 percent of the company’s sales. The upgraded version of the recently launched BMW X1 is its most popular model. It accounts for about 20 percent of BMW’s total sales.

The company holds the number one position in the premium segment of electric vehicles with over 50 per cent share. Its rival Mercedes-Benz posted its highest ever sales in India in the first half. The company has sold 8,528 units during this period. This is an increase of about 13 percent compared to the same period last year. The company has been dominating the luxury car market in the country for the last many years.

Mercedes has also been helped by the launch of new and updated models to increase the pace of sales. Apart from models with petrol and diesel engines, the company also has Electric Vehicles (EV). Earlier this year, the company had said that it would focus on the top-end variants. The company is getting strong demand for these variants. Mercedes has vehicles like AMG SL55 Roadster, AMG GT 63 SE Performance and G-Class in this category. Mercedes has claimed that one out of every four vehicles sold in the country is a top-end vehicle.