After a strong start to the year with record first-quarter sales, BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse is confident in the future of the automaker, and is targeting annual sales of 3,000,000 BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce vehicles by the end of the decade. The report comes from Manager Magazin via BMWBlog, and it cites record growth in 2019 when BMW sold 2,520,307 vehicles, a figure BMW seems to be on track to recapture and surpass in the near future. If sales continue on a trajectory of growing 5% per year, BMW could realize its 3,000,000-unit annual target as soon as 2028.
It is also said that Asia, more specifically China, will play a key role in the auto manufacturer’s growth. During the first quarter of 2021, BMW sold 286,968 vehicles in Asia, a year-over-year increase of 76.4%. China was responsible for the bulk of deliveries with 229,748, which represents growth of 97.3%, but it’s important to remember that the large percentage gains come as a result of China and much of Asia being under strict lockdown during the first quarter of 2020.
Larger markets like Europe and the U.S. are also integral to BMW’s future success. Although BMW NA sales dropped 18% during 2020, from 374,275 to 306,870, they came roaring back during the first quarter, growing 20.1% year-over-year from 64,692 to 77,718. In Europe, BMW Group sales expanded 8.3% to 238,761, but in Germany, growth was flat at 0.3% thanks to 67,804 deliveries.
Sales of BMW M cars are another important element. In 2019, BMW sold more M and M Performance models than ever before, a trend that continued unabated in the challenging year that was 2020. During the first quarter, BMW M sales increased 21% to 37,896. BMW Group Electrified sales, a term that will one day likely encompass more than a few M models, will be even more important going forward. They grew an incredible 129.8% during the first quarter, with unit sales of 70,207. As BMW has repeatedly announced, the company expects sales of vehicles with electrified drivetrains to increase to ten times their 2020 volume by 2025, and to account for more than 50% of sales by 2030.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]