The German luxury car maker BMW yesterday posted a slight increase in sales for September, the first rise this year and a trend that should continue in the coming months, the company said.

Deliveries of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce automobiles gained 0.7 per cent from the figure in the same month a year earlier, to 122,354 vehicles, a statement said.

Since January 1 however, group sales have fallen by 15.7 per cent to around 939,600 vehicles.

BMW sales director Ian Robertson was quoted as saying: "I am cautiously optimistic that we will be back on our growth path in the months ahead and will remain the leading international supplier of premium automobiles this year."

The company did not expect to sell as many cars as in 2008, however, forecasting a drop of between 10-15 per cent.

A breakdown of the results showed that Mini sales rose by an annualised 9.5 per cent in September, while BMW brand cars posted a decline of 1.2 per cent.

Rolls-Royce sales plunged by 60 per cent as potential buyers wait for the new Ghost model that was presented at the Frankfurt motor show last month.

Once again, major emerging markets boosted BMW sales, with deliveries in Brazil up by 132 per cent, followed by India at 47 per cent and China at 35 per cent.

China is now BMW's fourth biggest market, behind the United States, Germany and Britain.

US sales rose by 3.6 per cent, the company said.