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 Group lays the foundation for expansion of its Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ)

BMW Group lays the foundation for expansion of its Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ)

BMW Group lays the foundation for expansion of its Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ)

The BMW Group is embarking on an extensive expansion of its FIZ Research and Innovation Centre in the north of Munich. The “FIZ Future” masterplan, which was developed as part of an urban development competition, will expand the development centre by around 50 per cent by 2050. The BMW Group will invest around 400 million euros in the first phase of construction, which will create a viable infrastructure for developing tomorrow’s mobility.

Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer, Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter and Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, launched the construction project today in the Milbertshofen district of Munich. In an official ceremony, the foundation was laid for a building complex with a total floor area of 157,000 m2. From 2019 on, around 5,000 employees will work here in innovative open-plan workspaces, developing hardware and software for the company’s future vehicles.

“Here in Munich, we will be creating the next generations of electrified drive trains, with decisive innovations for the mobility of the future. Focusing on IT and artificial intelligence, this will also be home to a new industry and a new generation of engineers and IT specialists,” according to Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “Today, we are laying the foundation together for our new idea factory. FIZ Future signals our strong commitment to the Munich location and Germany’s innovative strength. We are building the future right here.”

BMW Group lays the foundation for expansion of its Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ)

Prime Minister Horst Seehofer: “My congratulations on this far-sighted choice of location. This day will continue a 100-year success story. The mobility of tomorrow is being created right here. The expansion of the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre in Munich is a strong vote of confidence in Bavaria’s future strength.”

“BMW’s development, creating jobs and promoting research and development here in the north of Munich is a great gain for our city,” explained Dieter Reiter, Mayor of the City of Munich, at the ceremony. “And the fact that FIZ Future in Munich is thinking about the future of the car, researching and developing electro-mobility and alternative drive trains and forms of mobility is also a gain for urban mobility in general.”

FIZ Future masterplan

As part of its Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, the BMW Group and its FIZ Future programme aim to create a framework for the long-term development of its Research and Innovation Centre in the north of Munich. With around 26,000 workspaces and approx. 1 million m2 net floor space, the development centre is already the BMW Group’s largest location. In several stages, the expansion will create workspaces for another 15,000 employees by 2050. The aim is not just to create space, but, more importantly, to provide the right conditions for working in the future. Technological changes, driven by digitalisation and connectivity, demand agile team structures, quick decisions and immediate implementation. That is why the new buildings will primarily offer open, flexible spaces where staff members can meet, discuss and implement their ideas quickly – for example, by testing new software for a vehicle prototype in a workshop just a few steps away and seeing the results immediately. The FIZ expansion and remodelling is therefore not only an investment in the future competitiveness of the company, it is also an investment in attractive state-of-the-art workplaces.

In the urban development competition, organised in September 2014 in close collaboration with the Department of Planning and Building Regulations of the City of Munich, it was the proposal of the architectural firm HENN that impressed the most. On this basis – and with regular involvement of the people living in the north of Munich – a FIZ Future masterplan was developed and approved by Munich City Council in July 2016 as the basis for the expansion. Following today’s start of construction, other administrative, research and workshop facilities will be created over the medium and long term, as well as test benches and design studios.

courtesy: www.press.bmwgroup.com