FRANKFURT — Soaring demand for SUVs and crossovers drove record sales for premium carmakers including BMW and Mercedes last year, leaving the industry on collision course with government efforts to tackle global warming despite big investments in electric vehicles.
BMW said on Friday deliveries by its main luxury brand rose 2 percent to a record 2,168,516 vehicles last year, thanks to a 21 percent jump in sales of its “X” branded crossovers that now make up 44 percent of the BMW brand’s global sales.
