High Pace: Electric vehicle sales BMW brand more than double again in Q1

Note: This press release is a 1:1 copy of the original issued by BMW headquarters in Germany. No adaptations have been made to cater for the UK market.

Munich. The BMW Group posted significant growth in its global sales of fully-electric vehicles (+83.2%) in the first quarter of 2023. Overall, the BMW Group delivered a total of 64,647 fully-electric BMW and MINI vehicles to customers in the first three months of the year. The BMW brand was able to more than double its sales of fully-electric vehicles in the first quarter, with 55,979 units delivered to customers (+112.3%).

“Our strong product lineup continues to inspire our customers worldwide. Our fully-electric vehicles, in particular, are benefiting from high demand around the globe. We were therefore able to maintain the dynamic pace of our electromobility ramp-up in the first quarter,” said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales. “The BMW Group is on track for slight sales growth in the full year 2023. The main growth drivers in 2023 will be fully-electric vehicles and models from the high-end premium segment – like the new BMW i7*, the new BMW 7 Series, the BMW XM* and the updated BMW X7,” Nota continued.

The BMW Group delivered a total of 588,138 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles to customers worldwide in the first quarter of this year (-1.5%). The aftereffects of China's receding coronavirus wave and its impact on the economic environment are still clearly being felt across all industries. The BMW Group expects the Chinese economy to stabilise over the course of the year. The sales situation in the US currently appears to be robust. In Europe, BMW Group sales were down slightly on the previous year, mainly due to the export and production ban for the Russian market. However, a clear upward trend was evident worldwide in March.

With the prospect of profitable growth in what remains a challenging business environment and with a very dynamic increase in sales of electric vehicles, the BMW Group is confident about the year 2023. This is underpinned by a strong order book overall. The BMW Group expects slight growth in deliveries to customers worldwide in the Automotive Segment in 2023.

The BMW Group also expects to see positive momentum at the top end of the market – where the company is planning for growth in the mid-double-digit percentage range. Due to localisation of the long-wheelbase version of the BMW X5 in China, the BMW Group now also has additional capacity for the X family in Spartanburg.

Dynamic growth in BEV share over coming years

With the rollout of the new BMW i5 this year, the BMW Group will offer at least one fully-electric model in every major segment of its business and anticipates a steep growth trajectory in the coming years: By 2024, at least one in five of the company’s new vehicles should have a fully-electric drive train; by 2025, one in four newly delivered vehicles should be a BEV and, by 2026, about one in three. The BMW Group believes that, as the NEUE KLASSE ramps up with its compelling product substance, it has the potential to further accelerate the market penetration of e-mobility.

BMW brand on track for success: Sales of fully-electric vehicles more than double

The BMW brand sold 517,957 units worldwide between January and March of 2023 (-0.4%). Customers are particularly enthusiastic about its fully-electric vehicles: In the year to the end of March, BMW deliveries were up +112.3% to 55,979 units and the brand was able to double its sales of fully-electric vehicles once again, compared to the same period of last year. The BMW iX*, BMW i7*, BMW i4* and BMW iX3* were particularly in demand. The newly launched BMW X1* is also proving very popular with customers, thanks to its hallmark driving pleasure and sporty elegance.

With the launch of the new BMW 5 Series and the fully-electric BMW i5 this year, the BMW brand will offer customers a wide range of products in the high-end model segment. The product lineup will be joined towards the end of the year by the fully-electric BMW iX2 and the first fully-electric 5 Series Touring.

Successful Q1 for BMW M crowned by BMW XM launch

BMW M started the year with considerable momentum: Sales for the first quarter of 2023 were significantly higher year-on-year, with a total of 46,430 units sold (+18.9%). The main growth driver is the highly emotional, fully-electrified BMW M Performance derivative, the i4 M50*. The recently introduced new M3 Touring is also in very high demand. This car, which is the first of its kind, has been a successful concept from the start. Firmly established on the market and still in growing demand, the M3 Sedan and the M4 also made a key contribution to the successful first quarter. The quarterly results were crowned by the market launch of the first electrified BMW M High Performance derivative, the XM* plug-in hybrid. This represents another important milestone for BMW M on the road to an electrified future. Looking ahead to the second quarter, BMW M is eagerly anticipating more new products – with the sales launch not only of model updates for the X5 M and X6 M; the X5* and X6 M60i*; but also the highly emotional M2 Coupé, which will once again make the High Performance portfolio complete.

MINI sells 68,541 units in Q1 (-9.2%) – positive trend in March

Premium automotive brand MINI sold 68,541 units (-9.2%) in the first three months of the year. Demand for the fully-electric MINI Cooper SE also remains high. With the rollout of the direct sales model, using agents as sales representatives, in China in March 2023 and a strong order book, the MINI brand is looking forward with confidence to the second quarter. MINI expects positive momentum from the sales launch of the first fully-electric MINI Cooper SE Convertible. The new MINI family started the year by presenting two fully-electric MINI models and continues to prepare for full electrification of the brand by 2030.

Rolls-Royce starts 2023 with slight growth in first quarter

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars started 2023 with slight growth, delivering a total of 1,640 vehicles to customers (+1%) in the first quarter. Growth was recorded in most markets, with full order books for all models until the end of the year. All Rolls-Royce motor cars feature bespoke elements of exceptional craftsmanship – as demonstrated by the recently announced Phantom Syntopia. Preparations for initial customer deliveries of Rolls-Royce Spectre, the world's first ultra-luxury electric super coupé, are in full swing ahead of its market launch in the fourth quarter of 2023; by the end of 2030, Rolls-Royce will offer only fully-electric vehicles.

Impressive first-quarter result confirms BMW Motorrad’s successful growth strategy

Between January and March, BMW Motorrad increased its sales by +1.1% to 47,935 units – beating its previous all-time high for the first quarter of last year and once again posting its best-ever first-quarter sales result. This performance provides confirmation of BMW Motorrad’s successful growth strategy. The brand’s compelling lineup, with successful products that shape their respective segments, paired with the market introduction of strong new models, such as the powerful M 1000 R, should once again help secure the success of BMW Motorrad.

BMW & MINI sales in the regions/markets

In China, the BMW Group delivered a total of 194,773 BMW and MINI vehicles to customers in the first three months of the year (-6.6%).

BMW and MINI sales in the US for January to March totalled 89,750 units – an increase of +11.4% compared to the same period of last year.

In Europe, the BMW Group delivered a total of 215,917 BMW and MINI vehicles to customers (-1.9%) in the first quarter.

In Germany, 57,317 BMW and MINI vehicles were registered in the year to the end of March.

BMW Group sales in Q1/YTD March 2023 at a glance

¹BEVs and PHEVs

  BMW & MINI sales in the regions/markets

²Provisional registration figures

The delivery figures reported in this press release are provisional and may change up until the quarterly statement is published on 4 May 2023. Notes on how delivery figures are prepared can be found in the BMW Group Report 2022 on p. 67.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2022, the BMW Group sold nearly 2.4 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2022 was € 23.5 billion on revenues amounting to € 142.6 billion. As of 31 December 2022, the BMW Group had a workforce of 149,475 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products. 

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