Dubai: Staving off stiff challenges from Mercedes-Benz and Audi, both with a much expanded line-up, the BMW Group has retained its ranking as the top selling luxury brand in the region’s automotive market totalling 30,148 units for 2014. The tally includes the 1,608 units put in by the Mini range.

The UAE now accounts for 54 per cent of the BMW numbers, followed by Saudi Arabia (14 per cent) and Kuwait (12 per cent).

“Our 2014 performance is a reflection of the successful partnerships we have with our importers — they have collectively invested more than $300 million over the past five years in their facilities and new customer services,” Johannes Seibert, Managing Director for BMW Group Middle East, said in a statement on Thursday.

The coming weeks will be just as busy for the manufacturer and its importers — the M version of X6 and X5 are due and so is the Mini John Cooper Works Hatch, the high-performance engine variant in the Mini portfolio. “John Cooper Works (versions) account for more than 10 per cent of total Mini sales in the region, which is the highest sales share anywhere,” said a BMW Group spokesperson.

On the BMW side of things, the super-premium X models accounted for 41 per cent of the total units delivered last year, with the X5 selling 5,797 units and the X6 4,008 units. Those of the flagship 7 Series represented 14 of volumes and enough to make the Middle East the third biggest market for the model after China and the US.