BMW posts 9.1 percent increase in global sales in 2021

BMW’s sub-brands, Mini and Rolls-Royce, also posted an increase in sales, with the latter recording its highest-ever figures in history.

Published On Jan 14, 2022 10:00:00 AM

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BMW posts sales growth globally as well as in India for 2021.

BMW achieved its highest annual sales figures to date with a growth of 9.1 percent last year, despite supply bottlenecks and issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

BMW sold over 22 lakh units worldwide
Its M performance brand also posted all-time record sales
BMW India also registered a 34 percent YoY sales increase

The German manufacturer sold a total of 22,13,795 units worldwide, making it the number one brand in the global premium segment.

BMW attributes the significant growth to its recently updated line-up, its “powerful operational performance” and a “clear focus” on ramping up its electric vehicle production.

Electric BMW sales increase

Sales of the firm’s electric models rose 70.4 percent year on year, to reach a total of 3,28,316 EVs sold across both the BMW and Mini brands. Worldwide, around 13 percent of all BMW and Mini cars sold in 2021 were electrified, while this figure stood at 23 percent in Europe.

One in 10 BMW X3s sold was fully electric. The i3 also achieved significant growth, with sales increasing by 5.4 percent to 28,216 units sold. A third of Mini 3-Door hatch models sold were fully electric as the brand sold 24,851 units for an impressive growth of 98.2 percent.

“In 2022, we want to continue our profitable growth and we will systematically expand our range of fully electric vehicles,” said Pieter Nota, BMW board member for sales. “We have set ourselves particularly ambitious growth targets in this area and aim to more than double our sales of fully electric vehicles from last year.”

Rise of the ‘M’

BMW’s M performance arm also posted all-time record sales, delivering 1,63,542 vehicles to customers last year. The firm says the M3 and M4 were standout performers, with the X5 M and X6 M SUVs also doing well.

European sales grew 3.9 percent to a total of 9,48,087 units. Meanwhile, in China, a record 8,46,237 BMW and Mini vehicles were delivered, which is an 8.9 percent growth. Sales of electric models also rose by 69.6 percent in the country, with 21,000 BMW iX3 models sold.

In the US, deliveries increased by 20.8 percent to 3,36,644, which BMW described as “on par” with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. SUVs were the biggest sellers in the US, with the BMW X range contributing to 60 percent of total sales.

Overall, the results imply that BMW has outsold Mercedes-Benz for the first time in five years. Rolls-Royce, owned by the BMW Group, also reported its best-ever sales in its 117-year history in 2021.

BMW sales in India

BMW had a good run in India too, last year, and recorded a 34 percent year on year growth with a sale of over 8,236 cars. Locally assembled SUVs, including the X1, X3 and X5, accounted for 40 percent of BMW India’s sales in 2021. Without mentioning the stats, the company also notes that the 3 Series and 5 Series remained “strong contributors” in the sedan segment.

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