"The small-car results are a good sign of the acceptance of those vehicles, but if you're asking me if their sales will reach the magnitude of midsized cars, I'd say it's not likely soon," Christopher Hopson, a sales forecaster at IHS Automotive, said.
Forecasters say sales should rise by at least another one million vehicles in 2012.
Forecasters say sales of other luxury electric cars are the best gauge of how the BMW is likely to perform.
On Wednesday, a decline in retail sales jolted investors and forecasters, who were becoming used to spotting glimmers of hope in the economy.
Men are buying so many accessories that some forecasters predict sales growth for men's clothing and accessories during the first three months of this year will set a 20-year high.
While some forecasters expect sales of toys to end up considerably higher this holiday season as parents seek to comfort their children, others forecast little growth because of the overall weakness in consumer confidence.
But by 2003, according to figures from market forecaster IDC, China will edge out Japan as the world's second-largest market, with forecast sales of 12.6 million units versus 12.3 million in Japan.
