BMW Group doubles global EV sales in Q1

The BMW Group doubled its global sales of electrified vehicles in the first quarter of 2021 in comparison to the same period last year, which it says will put the brand on track to deliver more than 100,000 fully electric vehicles this year.

More than 70,207 BMW Group PHEV and fully-electric vehicles were delivered globally in the first quarter.

The fully-electric BMW iX3 was just released in Europe, joining the fully-electric BMW i3 and MINI Cooper SE. Later this year the group will also release the BMW iX SUV and the i4 Gran Coupe.

The group is planning to have around a dozen fully-electric models on the roads from 2023. These will include fully-electric versions of the BMW 5 Series, the BMW 7 Series, the BMW X1 and the successor to the MINI Countryman. By 2023, the BMW Group will have at least one fully-electric model in about 90% of its current market segments.

Between now and 2025, the group says it plans to increase its sales of fully- electric models by an average of well over 50% per year – more than ten times the number of units sold in 2020.

The group expects fully-electric vehicles to account for at least 50% of its global sales in 2030. The MINI brand is likely to reach this milestone already in 2027. By the early 2030s, MINI will be the first BMW Group brand with a product range that is exclusively fully electric.

Record first quarter deliveries

In the first quarter BMW Group delivered 636,606 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles to customers (+33.5%) and achieved a new record for the first quarter. Between January and March, the company increased its sales year-on-year in all major regions of the world.

All group brands posted sales growth worldwide during this period.

The BMW brand delivered 560,543 vehicles to customers (+36.2%) in Q1, 2021. The main factors contributing to the brand’s first-quarter sales success were the X models’ high popularity with customers (246,068 units, +36.5%), as well as sales increases of 43.0% for the new high-volume BMW 5 Series and 43.6% for the BMW 3 Series.

A total of 74,683 MINI vehicles were delivered to customers in the first quarter of 2021. Despite the brand’s limited footprint in the Chinese market, the brand saw a 16.2% increase in sales over the previous year.

Globally, the MINI Countryman proved especially popular with customers, posting growth of 36%; MINI 3 door sales were up 23.4%, while 19.1% more John Cooper Works models were sold than in the previous year. Electrified vehicles accounted for 15% of total MINI sales in the first quarter – double the figure for the previous year.

With sales up 21% (37,896 units) year-on-year, BMW M GmbH concludes a successful first quarter. The X5 M and X6 M were the main drivers of growth in the high-performance models. In the performance segment, the M440i Coupé was the significant source of growth. BMW M GmbH continued its model initiative in March, launching four product highlights, the M3/M4, M440i Convertible and M5 CS.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recorded the brand’s highest-ever first-quarter sales figures, with 1,380 motor cars delivered to customers (+61.8%). This quarterly result exceeds the previous record set in 2019 and is the highest in the marque’s 116-year history.