There are many reasons ? in these days of plummeting auto sales ? why luxury car maker BMW AG enjoyed a comfortable 16.6 percent increase in overall sales from last November.

The figures, reported by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, represent the loyalty that many BMW owners pledge to the automaker, said Marc Cohen, vice president and general manager of BMW of Towson, MINI of Towson and BMW of Bel Air. Even in the United States, where car sales are lagging, BMW posted a 4.2 percent sales increase, according to the automaker.