Worldwide sales year-to-date also reached an all-time high, with 1,246,528 vehicles sold, an increase of 7.7% over the same period in 2012.

BMW brand vehicles actually saw a rise of 15.6% last month, up to 118,743 units. Strong demand was seen for the 3 Series (up 38.6%), 5 Series (21.5%) and 7 Series (up by 25.8%). Year-to-date sales are up 9.2% to a total of 1,051,595.

MINI also reported its best August figures ever, with 20,653 deliveries worldwide, up by 10.6% on the previous year. Sales of the MINI Hatch climbed by 22.5% last month, while MINI Convertible deliveries increased by 8.2%.

Demand for BMW Group vehicles was particularly high in Asia and the Americas, with double-digit gains of 27.9% and 29.3% respectively last month.

In Europe, sales for the BMW Group were slightly lower than August last year, with 48,218 vehicles delivered, down by 2.3%. The main growth driver was the BMW 3 Series. Year to date, company sales have remained stable in Europe with a total of 548,148 vehicles delivered, a rise of 0.1%.