Global sales of BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce vehicles totaled 702,474 during the second quarter, a 44.6% year-over-year increase from 2020, when much of the world was under pandemic-induced lockdown. The second-quarter results bring the BMW Group year-to-date sales total to 1,339,080 units, which translates to an increase of 39.1%. The figures represent new all-time highs for BMW, which saw all of its brands grow during the first half of 2021, in addition to gains in all regional sales markets around the world. BMW Group sales for the first six months of the year also came in 7.1% higher than the same period in 2019.
“We are on course to achieve solid, profitable sales growth,” said Pieter Nota, the BMW Group board member overseeing brands and sales. “Thanks to our strong model line-up, high customer demand worldwide, and our excellent operating performance, we were able to achieve a new all-time high in sales in the first half of 2021. It is particularly pleasing that we were able to more than double our sales of electrified vehicles,” explained Nota.
BMW Group Brand Sales
The BMW Brand led the charge as far as sales volume is concerned, with 617,749 units delivered during the second quarter, a 43.5% gain. The brand’s year-to-date performance has also been strong, with sales expanding 39.9% during the first half of the year, to 1,178,292. Popular models include the venerable 3 Series, which saw sales grow 49.1% year-to-date, the 5 Series, which recorded an increase of 33.3%, and the X3, which posted an expansion of 43.9%. The fully-electric iX3, which is not sold in the U.S., is also said to have contributed.
Mini brand sales expanded 52.2% during the second quarter, with 83,116 deliveries, bringing the brand’s year-to-date sales to 157,799 units, an increase of 32.6%. According to BMW, the Mini brand’s electrified models are proving particularly popular, with the Mini SE and the hybrid version of the Countryman accounting for more than 15% of sales for the first half of the year.
Rolls-Royce sales grew 127.6% during the second quarter to 1,609 units, and the exclusive brand is up 91.6% for the year, thanks to 2,989 units being delivered during the first half of 2021. The new Rolls-Royce Ghost is said to be one of the main drivers behind increased sales.
BMW Motorrad’s second-quarter performance of sales increasing 55.1% to 65,018 units allowed the brand to achieve year-to-date growth of 40.1%, to 106,610 units, the best in its history.
BMW M also had its best first half-year ever, thanks to unit sales increasing 39.4% to 83,357. This comes after 2020 was the brand’s best year yet in terms of sales, when deliveries increased 5.9% over 2019. Popular M models include the new M3 and M4, which have been available in different parts of the world since March, along with the X5 M and award-winning X6 M. BMW M sales figures include M Performance automobiles, a term which encompasses models such as the M440i coupe and convertible, and the M340i sedan and touring, which are said to be driving sales. The introduction of the 4 Series Gran Coupé, more specifically the M440i Gran Coupé, is likely to further increase M brand sales.
BMW Group Electrified sales, a term used to describe the automaker’s electrified vehicles, expanded 166.9% during the second quarter to 83,060 deliveries. Sales of electrified BMW, Mini, and BMW Motorrad models have also increased 148.5% year-to-date to 153,267 units, a figure which includes 36,089 fully-electric vehicles, which are up 183.9%, and 117,718 hybrids, which saw an increase of 139.4%.
Regional BMW Group Sales
BMW Group sales increased in all major regions of the world during the second quarter. In Europe, deliveries increased 74.9% to 265,566 year-over-year, and 35.3% to 504,327 year-to-date. Sales in Germany grew 53.3% to 74,044 during the second quarter, and are up 22.1% to 141,983 units for the year. In Germany, one out of every four BMWs sold has an electrified drivetrain, the Mini SE has accounted for 19% of Mini brand sales year-to-date, and nearly 30% of new Mini models sold are electrified.
The Americas saw a second-quarter increase of 82.4% to 128,264 deliveries, which added to the year-to-date total of 224,225 unit sales, translating to growth of 47.4%. BMW NA sales in the U.S. surged 88.3% during the second quarter to a record 105,901 units, and have increased 51.8% to 183,619 year-to-date, figures which are boosted by the BMW brand reporting a second-quarter expansion of 89.5% to 96,561 deliveries.
In Asia, BMW Group sales grew 15.1% to 291,891 units during the second quarter, but were already recovering from the pandemic at this time last year. The region is up 39.1% for the first half of 2021 thanks to 579,859 deliveries. China accounts for the majority, and the country witnessed sales growth of 11.6% during the second quarter to 237,316 units, and 41.9% during the first six months of 2021, to 467,064. Unit sales of 42,502 occurred in South Korea, translating to a year-to-date increase of 34.6%.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]
