Rolls-Royce has enjoyed a record-breaking first half of 2014.

A total of 1,968 Rolls-Royce cars were sold worldwide in the first six months of this year - a 33.4% rise on the same period last year and the best half-yearly total yet.

European sales were up by more than 60%, with Asia Pacific rising by nearly 40% and the Middle East up by more than 30%.

Rolls-Royce, whose cars are made at Goodwood in West Sussex, is now on course for a record year.

Its half-yearly total helped its parent company, BMW of Germany, to achieve a record first six months of 2014 in which total BMW Group vehicle sales reached the one million mark for the first time.

BMW car sales rose 10.2% to 886,347 in January-June 2014, although Mini sales dipped 11.4% to 131,896.

Group vehicle sales totalled 1,020,211 - a 6.9% rise on the figure for the first half of 2013.

BMW Motorrad, the company's motorcycle brand, sold 70,978 in the first half of this year - a rise of 9.3%.

BMW board sales and marketing member Ian Robertson said: "This is the first time we've sold more than a million cars in the first half of the year.

"We're on the right track to achieve our target of delivering more than two million vehicles in 2014."