[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW Group Continues Sales and Market Share Growth in May

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Electrified sales crack 400,000 milestone: up 9.8% in May +++BMW Group total sales up 3.2% in May to total 210,563 +++ BMW brand sales up 4.6% with 181,888 delivered in May +++ Positive sales development in top three markets +++ Double-digit growth in China and Germany +++ BMW i3 deliveries increase by 40.0% in May +++ Nota: “Our new X models are driving growth” +++

Munich. May was a positive month for BMW Group sales, with worldwide deliveries increasing by 3.2% to achieve a total of 210,563 premium BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles sold. This brings the company’s total sales for the year-to-date to 1,012,093, an increase of 0.8% compared with the first five months of last year. This sales growth was achieved despite ongoing volatility in several markets around the world.

“With this positive result, we are clearly seeing the impact of our model rollout. In May, we were once again able to grow sales above market, thereby gaining further market share,” said Pieter Nota, member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for Customer, Brands and Sales. “Especially pleasing is the development of our new X models, as their overall sales increased by over 30% in the month. Similarly, i3 sales continue to grow, bucking the usual cycle, and were up 40% in the month. This helped us reach an important milestone in May, as we delivered our 400,000th electrified vehicle since the i3 was launched in November 2013,” Nota continued.

Overall sales of BMW brand vehicles grew by 4.6% in May, with a total of 181,888 delivered to customers worldwide in the month. That result brings the brand’s sales total for the first five months of the year to 872,367 / +1.6%. The new or revised BMW X vehicles were the brand’s biggest growth drivers, with global sales of the BMW X2 up 33.1% in May, while sales of the BMW X3 rose by 88,4%. Deliveries of the BMW X4 jumped by 92.5% and the BMW X5 achieved a sales increase of 10.2%. In total, BMW X vehicles accounted for 45.3% of the brand’s overall sales in May with 82,425 delivered around the world, an increase of 30.3% on the same month last year.

In May, cumulated BMW Group electrified sales topped the 400,000 mark with a total of 406,756 fully-electric and plug-in hybrid models delivered to customers since the pioneering BMW i3 first went on sale in November 2013. Five and a half years after it was launched, demand for the iconic BMW i3 continues to grow with global sales in May up 40.0%. Overall sales of BMW Group electrified vehicles grew by 9.8% in May, as customers show increasing interest in low emissions mobility. Deliveries of the plug-in hybrid BMW 2 Series Active Tourer* quadrupled in May and sales of the electrified BMW 5 Series* increased by 40.4%. Sales of the plug-in hybrid MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4* in May were almost three times as high as the same month last year. By the end of next year, the BMW Group will have introduced ten new or updated electrified models and by the end of this year, the company expects to have a total of half a million electrified vehicles on the roads.

In an extremely competitive segment, and with the company maintaining its focus on profitability, MINI brand sales decreased compared with last year. Deliveries in the year to date totalled 137,698 (-4.0%) while sales in May decreased by 5.1% to 28,255. Availability of MINI models was lower than usual in May, due to the scheduled four-week break in production at Plant Oxford taking place this year in April, rather than during the summer. Preparations continue for the launch of the all-new fully-electric MINI later this year, a model which will be built at the UK plant.

BMW Motorrad sales continue to grow strongly, with year-to-date deliveries up 7.1% (74,958). In May, a total of 17,944 (+5.2%) premium BMW Motorrad motorcycles and maxi scooters were delivered to customers around the world.

Sales in the regions/markets

Despite the various headwinds currently affecting the automotive industry, BMW achieved increased sales in all three of its biggest markets in May. Significant sales growth was achieved in China and Germany, increasing market share in the brand’s home market, while BMW continued to buck the trend in the USA by once again achieving a sales increase in the month. Despite the ongoing competitive and volatile global market environment, the BMW Group expects to achieve an increase in sales in 2019. The company continues to follow its strategy of prioritising profitability before volume.

[530iDriver]

MINI is the proverbial white elephant across the room.

[M2Cmtl]

Seriously. WTF is going on with MINI, they have been in decline for a while now.

[InsideMan]

They act like they are satisfied. Increasing YoY due to new models. The real pressure is coming from Tesla. They kill the BMW in BMWs biggest markets. BMW is nervous.

[Big boi m5]

Originally Posted by f31mtl

Seriously. WTF is going on with MINI, they have been in decline for a while now.

THey are named 'mini' in the era of big crossovers is the problem.

Also, they make a crossover but design makes it look small.

Good brand imo, they need to power through the next 5-10 years of crossovers and wait for small cars to become popular again.

[ShawnPaul]

So basically what they are saying is that the rise in wealth in China is the only source of growth? Am I reading into those stats wrong? The Chinese market grows as more families enter upper middle class, but the expected bubble in their economy could derail bmw.

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by SleepingBMW

THey are named 'mini' in the era of big crossovers is the problem.

Also, they make a crossover but design makes it look small.

Good brand imo, they need to power through the next 5-10 years of crossovers and wait for small cars to become popular again.

Being in a SUV phase is contributes but the biggest factor IMO is that there is no value with a MINI - all it really has is its looks and classic go-kart feel which is not for everybody.

Comparing a Golf GTI to a comparable MINI Cooper S, the Cooper S is about $2,000 cheaper but it's down on power and torque (228HP/258TQ vs. 189HP/207TQ). Aside from paper stats, the GTI is just a better car in terms of performance and drivability without the harsh ride of the MINI. So if you don't like the design and you could care less about the go-kart feel, there is no reason for you to take a MINI over a Golf.

While the MINI still has limited commercial and historic appeal, the MINI biggest contribution is that it gives BMW some R&D to apply to the BMW lineup.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by f31mtl

Seriously. WTF is going on with MINI, they have been in decline for a while now.

Because they lost their way! The designs lack purity and simplicity, which was the original appeal.


And now their huge ! And use bmw's front wheel platform vs a platform designed specific to mini. Cars are all Maxi now and their look has been in the decline for years! The new countryman is an absolute barf bag compared
To the first one. I know that's subjective but I've been a fan and had bought the first gen R53 S and the R56 was the last of the good ones after that their design leadership fell off the table and started to get all weird. The fine bright accents turned from a fine tip pen to look like they where drawn with a fat marker!

The first was designed by Frank Stephenson who has worked at Ferrari and McLaren and has made some beautiful contributions to the automotive world, and unfortunately now their all designed by kids who can't put the pencils down and wouldn't know timeless design if it bit them in the arse!

A small premium car turned into a joke as far as I'm concerned!
So yea I can understand the decline.
Sorry for the rant!