Global sales of the Mini have risen by more than eighteen per cent, latest figures from parent company BMW have revealed.

A total of 18,671 vehicles were sold worldwide in August, compared to 15,762 for the same month last year.

For the first eight months of the year, 192,652 cars have been sold, compared to 177,831 for the same period in 2011.

BMW said the largest Countryman model saw 63,817 vehicles sold since the beginning of the year, an increase of 22.9 per cent.