BERLIN, April 14 (Reuters) - BMW said on Tuesday sales of its core luxury brand rose 5.1 percent in March to a record 195,593 cars, thanks to strong demand for the 2-Series compact van and the 4-Series model.
First-quarter BMW brand sales were up 5.4 percent at 451,576 cars, the Munich-based automaker said, citing continued growth in Europe, North America and China.
BMW outsold its German premium rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz, which posted March deliveries of 177,950 cars and 183,467 cars, respectively. (Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Ludwig Burger)