(Corrects second bullet, first, third and fifth paragraph to show BMW has amended its regional sales figures)
* BMW brand sales rise 4 percent in May
* BMW and Mini sales fall 4.2 percent in China
* Recovery continues in Europe
FRANKFURT, June 12 (Reuters) - BMW passenger car sales of its core brand rose 4 percent in May to 159,129 vehicles, helped by strong demand in the Americas and an ongoing recovery in the European car market while China sales fell.
Sales of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles rose 5.9 percent to 188,287 vehicles, making it the best May ever for the carmaker, BMW said on Friday. Deliveries of the Mini brand rose 18.3 percent in the month.
In China, the world's biggest car market, BMW and Mini sales fell 4.2 percent.
BMW is under pressure in China from a cooling economy, a government move to rein in luxury car prices, a trial programme allowing unauthorised dealers to sell imported cars and tensions with Chinese dealership groups.
In the United States, 4.3 percent more BMW and Mini cars were delivered to customers, while in Europe deliveries rose 8.4 percent. (Reporting by Christoph Steitz and Irene Preisinger; Editing by Georgina Prodhan and Jane Merriman)