The BMW Group, which represents brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, is on track for record results this year, with the automaker’s sales for the first 10 months of the year already up 8.8 percent on the same period a year ago.

The final number came in at 1,493,153 units, which is already the best 10-month sales figure in BMW’s history. Of these, 1,242,817 units were BMWs, 247,698 were MINIs and the rest were made up of Rolls-Royces and BMW Motorrad motorcycles.

Note, this was despite the strong headwind present in many European countries, not to mention the strong competition from rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

BMW has Asia and the Americas to thank for its positive results, which resulted in an increase in sales over the past year of 28.1 percent and 7.8 percent respectively. In particular, the U.S. remains BMW’s biggest market, with sales figures for the first 10 months of the year coming in at 267,267, up 8.4 percent. China was close behind, with sales there coming in at 264,884, up 35.2 percent. At this rate, it’s almost certain China will be BMW’s biggest market in 2013.

In Europe, sales have largely remained flat, with BMW moving 711,197 vehicles in the first 10 months of the year, versus 706,600 vehicles for the same period a year ago. This represented a rise of 0.7 percent.  

In the luxury sales race, BMW remains in a strong position to take out the 2012 title, while Audi is happy to remain in second place for the next several years. Mercedes-Benz is now in third position, though it’s in the process of launching a new generation of small cars that should help it capture a portion of younger buyers it previously could only dream of.