Munich, Jan. 5 (BNA): Upmarket German carmaker BMW sold a total of 2.2 million cars under its main BMW brand during 2021, posting a new record, the company announced from its Munich head office on Tuesday.

'This means that we are in the top spot in the global premium segment with the BMW brand, and by a wide margin,' BMW sales head Pieter Nota said, Deutsche press agency (dpa) reported.

The record sales were achieved despite the semiconductor shortages that have hit the automotive sector around the world. The company also sells cars under the Rolls-Royce and Mini brands. Full details are to be released in a week.

Nota expressed optimism for the year ahead. 'We are expecting further profitable growth in 2022,' he said.

A significant driver has been the rise in sales of fully electric cars. More than 100,000 were sold as the company reached its target in this growing segment.

BMW's nine-month figures also showed a record, with 1.932 million cars sold, turnover of 82.8 billion euros (93.5 billion dollars) and pre-tax profits of 13.2 billion euros.

bna