THE first nine months of 2016 have been strong for the BMW Group worldwide as the company’s automotive segment share increased by 6.2 per cent to 1,746,638 sales, up from 1,644,810 at the same point last year.

The German car-maker says its strategy of striving to achieve an evenly balanced distribution of sales worldwide has continued to pay off, allowing fluctuations in individual markets to be compensated.

Sales in Europe grew 10.4 per cent year-on-year to 807,597, while deliveries of BMW vehicles in Asia rose by 9.1 per cent to 548,986.

But the number of BMWs sold in the Americas between January and September was 6.5 per cent lower at 338,005 units, including a drop of 8.7 per cent, or 269,884 vehicles, in the USA.

The BMW Group’s automotive revenues to the end of September amounted to €63.2 billion ($A91 billion) up 2.8 per cent from €61.5 billion ($A88.56 billion). Earnings before interest and tax were €5.8 billion ($A8.35 billion) up 4.6 per cent from €5.5 billion ($A7.92 billion).

The company’s profit margin for the remainder of 2016 is forecast to remain within the targeted range of between eight and 10 per cent.

The BMW Group’s workforce grew by 3.9 per cent year-on-year as of September 30, with 126,013 people employed worldwide by the car-maker compared with 121,316 the year before.

The company continues to concentrate its recruitment efforts on attracting highly-qualified engineers and skilled staff, including software and IT experts.

By Daniel Cotterill