The BMW Group saw sales expand 3.2% to 210,563 units during May as we head into the summer driving season, which brings the year-to-date total to 1,012,093 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royces vehicles sold, an increase of 0.8% over the period of last year. 181,888 of the deliveries that occurred during May were of BMW brand vehicles, and that number translates to a healthy increase of 4.6% year-over-year. The BMW brand is also positive year-to-date, with sales growing 1.6% to 872,367. MINI continues to put a damper nothings, with sales declining 5.1% to 28,255 during May, while the brand is also down 4% for the year with 136,698 deliveries having occurred.
BMW X vehicles alone were responsible for 45.3% of the brand’s overall sales volume during May, thanks to 82,426 unit sales, an increase of 30.3% over last year. All of the BMW models that experienced the strongest growth last month were also X models, include the X5, which posted a 10.2% gain, the X4 with 92.5%, the X3 with 88.4%, and the X2 with 33.1%.
Sales of BMW Group Electrified vehicles crossed the 400,000 unit threshold during during May, with the total delivered since Number 2013—when the i3 first went on sale—amounting to 406,756. During May, BMW Group Electrified deliveries grew 9.8% to 11,222, and things are also looking decent for the year-to-date, thanks to unit sales of 47,900 translating to an expansion of 2.2%. The i3, which has been on sale for nearly six model years as noted above, continues to generate demand, and witnessed growth of 40% in May. Other BMW EVs of note include the 530e, which saw sales grow 40.4% last month. According to Pieter Nota, the BMW Group board member overseeing customer, brands, and sales, by the end of 2020, BMW will have introduced ten new or updated models with electrified drivetrains, and by the end of 2019, the number of BMW EVs on the road will cross the 500,000 mark.
BMW Motorrad continues to experience robust, steady sales expansion, adding 17,944 deliveries during May to the year-to-date total of 74,958, which translates to growth of 5.2% and 7.1% respectively.
BMW Group sales results for May varied by region, with Europe coming in negative to 5.4% below last year even though Germany posted a gain of 29.6%. Year-to-date, Europe remains down 1.6%, while Germany is up 5.9%, and the U.K., another key market for BMW, down 0.1%. The Americas came in 2.7% short of last May’s results, and the region remains in the negative for 2019 with sales 2.2% below the first five months of 2018. Latin America is up both year-to-date and year-over-year, but the U.S., a much larger market, is down in both metrics. Asia continues to act as an engine for growth, with deliveries experiencing growth of 19.6% in May, largely thanks to China, which posted a gain of 32.8% for the month, and 15.9% for the year so far. Overall, the largest issue at play seems to be the MINI brand, which is pulling BMW Group results into negative territory, even though the BMW brand itself is doing well with strong demand across the globe.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]