BMW Group remains world’s Number One premium automotive company

BMW Group remains world’s Number One premium automotive company

BMW Group remains world’s Number One premium automotive company

The BMW Group achieved its best-ever annual sales in 2017, the seventh consecutive year it has achieved a new annual record. This success was spread throughout the company with both BMW and MINI brands achieving new all-time high figures. BMW M and BMW i also achieved record sales, as did BMW Motorrad. With this sales result, the BMW Group reconfirms its position as the world’s leading premium automotive company.

Record sales for BMW
The company’s core BMW brand achieved a new all-time sales high, growing sales by 4.2% across the year, to total 2,088,283. BMW X vehicles continued to be significant growth drivers with sales of X vehicles up 9.6% compared to the previous year, despite limited availability of the BMW X3 due to the introduction of the new generation in November. The BMW 5 Series limousine, which underwent a model change during 2017, achieved growth of 55.2% (30,359) in December, with sales of the world’s leading premium business sedan up 6.3% (291,856) in the full year. Other models which contributed to the brand’s growth in 2017 include the BMW 1 Series (201,968 / +14.7%), and the BMW 7 Series (64,311 / +4.5%).

“We are delighted with these new record sales figures, which mean the BMW Group, with its three premium automotive brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, remains the world’s leading premium automotive company,” commented Ian Robertson, until 31 December 2017 BMW AG board member responsible for Sales and Brand BMW. “We have continued to increase sales despite headwinds in some major markets and model-changeovers of several of our most significant vehicles. This demonstrates the high desirability of our brands and products, ranging from the i3 to the M5 and from the BMW 1 Series to the BMW 7 Series. We clearly achieved our target of selling over 100,000 electrified vehicles in a single calendar year and are delighted that, following its model changeover, the BMW 5 Series returned to its position as segment leader in the final months of 2017,” Robertson continued.

Pieter Nota, who on 1 January 2018 succeeded Robertson on the board of BMW AG, added “I am confident BMW sales will continue to grow during 2018, while we also maintain our focus on profitability. Increased availability of BMW X models and our ongoing model offensive, which includes the launches of brand new models this year such as the BMW X2 and the BMW 8 Series, will ensure we bring even more customers to the BMW brand in 2018.”

Target exceeded: over 100,000 electrified vehicles sold in 2017. BMW Group’s leading role in premium electro-mobility confirmed
In December, the BMW Group celebrated delivery of the 100,000th electrified vehicle sold in 2017. In total, 103,080 electrified vehicles were delivered to customers during the year; this increase of 65.6% underscores the company’s leading position in electro-mobility. The BMW Group sold more electrified vehicles in Europe than any other premium manufacturer in 2017 and the company’s position on the world market is also extremely strong. Four years after its launch, sales of the BMW i3 grew in 2017 by 23.3% to total 31,482 worldwide. The plug-in hybrid BMW iPerformance vehicles also continue to grow in popularity, with sales almost doubling to total 63,605. Launched in June 2017, the MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid also made a significant contribution to boosting the BMW Group’s electrified sales, with a total of 5,799 delivered to customers around the world. The BMW Group is expecting strong double-digit growth in electrified vehicle sales in 2018. By the end of 2019, the company aims to have at least half a million electrified BMW Group vehicles on the road.

Powerful growth at BMW M GmbH
BMW’s high-performance BMW M vehicles achieved record sales in 2017. Deliveries of BMW M and BMW M Performance vehicles increased by 19.1% compared to the previous year, with overall sales topping 80,000 for the first time ever. In its first full year on the market, the BMW M2 (fuel consumption combined: 8.5-7.9 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 199-185 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures were calculated as per the EU test cycle and may vary depending on the tyre format.) was the strongest growth driver, with total sales of 12,293. The BMW M Performance variants of the new BMW 5 Series also contributed strongly to the increase in sales. With the launch of the new BMW M5 in in the spring, BMW M’s powerful success story looks set to continue in 2018.

All-time-best sales figures for MINI
The MINI brand overall achieved a new sales record in 2017 with 371,881 vehicles delivered to customers around the world, an increase of 3.2% on the previous year. The new MINI Countryman saw a jump in sales of 30.0% (84,441). Another significant contributor to the brand’s sales success was the MINI Convertible, which grew sales 12.0% (33,317). “We are delighted that with our new brand strategy, we have achieved a new sales record. The focus of the MINI portfolio on fewer but more characterful models was completed with the launch of the new MINI Countryman last year,” stated Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce, BMW Motorrad. “The Countryman contributed significantly to MINI’s growth in 2017 and the first MINI plug-in hybrid also achieved excellent results. I am sure that this success will continue into 2018, with the launch from March of the new MINI 3 and 5 door, as well as the MINI Convertible, supporting the brand’s further growth,” he continued.

Rolls-Royce
The Goodwood-based luxury house delivered 3,362 units (-16.2%) to customers in almost 50 countries during 2017. This result was achieved despite the absence of Phantom from the market due to model-changeover and against a backdrop of unsettled market conditions in the important Middle East market. New Phantom was unveiled in July to unprecedented worldwide acclaim by media and prospective customers alike and has a strong order book. First customer Phantoms are due to be delivered in January 2018.

BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad achieved a seventh consecutive record year, with more motorcycles and maxi-scooters delivered to customers than ever before. Sales across the range increased by 13.2% with a total of 164,153 units delivered worldwide – the ever- popular GS models were particularly strong growth drivers. A total of 14 new and updated models in the range, including additions to the R nineT family and the attractively priced G 310 R and G 310 GS also helped drive BMW Motorrad to its most successful sales year ever.

BMW & MINI sales in the markets / regions at a glance
The BMW Group maintains its focus on balanced sales around the world.

  • Asia was the company’s main growth driver in 2017 with China the most significant contributor. BMW and MINI sales in Mainland China, the company’s largest market, increased by 15.1% (594,388) in 2017. This increase was achieved despite the model changeover of the BMW 5 Series.
  • Europe maintained sales of BMW and MINI vehicles at the same extremely high level as the previous year, with a total of 1,100,975 (+0.9%) vehicles delivered to customers in the region, despite significant headwinds in the important UK market.
  • The Americas recorded a slight decrease in deliveries across the whole year (450,020/-2.0%) with the limited availability of BMW X models impacting on sales.

courtesy: www.press.bmwgroup.com

BMW Group electrified sales top 10,000 in September

BMW Group electrified sales top 10,000 in September

BMW Group electrified sales top 10,000 in September

BMW Group sales of electrified vehicles in the first three quarters of 2017 have exceeded those achieved in the whole of 2016; in September, electrified sales topped the 10,000 mark for the first time in a single month. With the company’s electrified line-up already totalling nine models, a total of 10,786 (+50.5%) BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles were delivered in September, bringing the year-to-date total to 68,687 (+64.2%).

“We are pleased to see the ongoing, strong sales development of our unrivalled range of electrified vehicles, with independent reports* confirming our leadership in the field of electromobility,” commented Dr Ian Robertson, BMW AG Management Board Member for Sales and Brand BMW. “The BMW Group has the largest share of the electrified market worldwide; this year, we’ve already sold more electrified vehicles than in the whole of last year and we are well on track to deliver our target of 100,000 by year-end. The continued significant sales growth of these vehicles is due in part to the increasing availability of the BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid, which in some markets accounts for up to a third of BMW 5 Series sedan sales,” he continued.

(BMW 530e: fuel consumption combined: 1.9-2.1 l/100 km; combined electricity consumption: 13.1-14.1 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions combined: 44-49 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures were calculated as per the EU test cycle and may vary depending on the tyre format.)

September also saw growth in overall BMW Group sales. Despite the current changeover of the significant BMW X3 model, deliveries in the month totalled 239,764 (+0.8%) worldwide, bringing the year-to-date total to 1,811,234 (+3.7%). Both figures represent best-ever sales for the respective period.

Global BMW brand sales in the first three quarters of 2017 increased by 3.9% with a total of 1,537,497 customer deliveries worldwide. These record figures can be attributed to increased sales across a variety of models in the portfolio. The BMW X family remains a strong growth driver, despite availability of the BMW X3 being significantly affected by the current model changeover. Total BMW X sales were up 12.5% (522,360) in the first nine months of the year. Other models contributing significantly to sales growth this year include the BMW 1 Series (143,018 / +10.8%) and the BMW 7 Series (47,880 / +14.7%). Meanwhile in September, the new BMW 5 Series achieved sales growth of 48.8% (23,737) in markets excluding China, where the 5 Series is currently in model changeover.

The first nine months of the year also saw MINI achieve new record sales: worldwide, a total of 271,394 were delivered to customers, an increase of 2.8%. “MINI continues to achieve sustainable sales growth with the new MINI Countryman proving a particularly strong growth driver,” commented Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG Management Board member for MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad. “The popularity of the first ever MINI plug-in hybrid, which has already been delivered to more than 2,700 customers worldwide since it was introduced in June, is particularly exciting,” he continued. Almost one in ten Countryman sold in September was a MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 (fuel consumption in the EU test cycle: 2.3-2.1 litres/100 km, electricity consumption 14 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions: 52-49 g/km).

The Goodwood-based Rolls-Royce brand delivered 2,343 (-10.7%) cars to customers in the first three quarters of the year. This result takes into account the current absence of Phantom from the market, pending first customer deliveries of New Phantom in January 2018, and challenging market conditions within the global luxury sector in a number of regions around the world. Significant rebalancing of the company’s manufacturing plant in preparation for new models has proceeded throughout this period. New Phantom was unveiled in July in London to worldwide acclaim and already has a strong order book.

BMW Motorrad once again achieved record sales in September, with 14,090 motorbikes and maxi-scooters delivered to customers. This was an increase of 15.3% compared to the previous year. In the first nine months of the year, 127,818 units were delivered to customers – an increase of 10.1% compared to the same period last year.

courtesy: www.press.bmwgroup.com

Bmw 5 Series to Launch in 2010

BMW_5_Series

BMW_5_Series

With an entirely new platform and striking new design in the exterior, the BMW 5 Series is set to be unleashed in 2010. Generally speaking the engineered designs is a huge departure from the present yet ever intriguing E60 5 Series. The “flame surfacing”, however, is remained as is. It is BMW’s design play of concave and convex shapes.

Some of the new BMW 5 Series’ design cues are adopted from the current 3-Series. Examples of these are the rear lamps and v-shaped hood lines that extend down into the front grille bumper fascia, and the coupe-like roof-line that expands down into the quarter panels and luggage lid. In effect, the abhorrent “bangle butt” is gone.

BMW indeed continues to offer its customers a more advanced technology built vehicles as it makes the new BMW 5 Series with more striking appeal to the public. A Flex-Ray high-speed vehicle network architecture (for more agility), new torque splitting all-wheel-drive (which also known as Dynamic Performance Control), refined I-Drive (for an additional driving aid), and a light-hybrid engine system are just few of the new high technology features that come along with this vehicle. As to the engine, the new M5 will retain its V10. It will, however, come with increased horsepower and an 8-speed dual-clutch gear box (i.e. DSG).

The Auto Motor Sports Sweden insider gave the scoop on this new BMW 5 Series and the scoops on the new features were visually presented through computer renderings created by Radovan Varicak, an AMS illustrator.