BMW Group sales increase in October

Munich. The BMW Group has sold more cars in October than ever before in the month, despite the current challenging economic and political situation. The company delivered 200,883 vehicles to customers around the world, an increase of 1.7% on the same month last year. That result brings the company’s year-to-date sales total to 2,035,695, up 1.3% compared with the first ten months of the previous year.

“In a highly volatile environment, we have achieved steady sales growth both in October and the year to date,” said Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Brand BMW. “Our clear focus remains on profitable growth during this unpredictable period, especially in Europe, where the market continues to experience significant pricing pressure following the introduction of the new WLTP testing procedure. Meanwhile sales of our electrified vehicles are up over 40% in the year to date. Around every fifth BMW 5 Series sedan or BMW 2 Series Active Tourer sold worldwide has a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, while our all-electric BMW i3 remains very successful with sales up over 10% in October,” Nota concluded.

October deliveries of BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles totalled 13,016 units worldwide, an increase of 38.4% on the same month last year. Sales of BMW Group electrified vehicles in the year to date total 110,560 (+41.6%), yet again confirming the company’s position as a leading global provider of premium electrified mobility. Electrified vehicles play an increasingly significant role in overall BMW Group sales: in October, 18.4% of BMW 5 Series sedan sales and 23.1% of BMW 2 Series Active Tourer sales was the plug-in hybrid variant. The BMW i3, which has achieved increasing sales ever since it was launched in 2013, grew its sales by 10.8% (3,158) in October. The company is expecting to achieve its target of 140,000 electrified sales in 2018 and intends to achieve total electrified sales of over half a million by the end of 2019. In 2025, the BMW Group will have at least 25 electrified vehicles in its model line-up, 12 of which will be fully-electric vehicles. At the end of this month, the company will celebrate the public world premiere of its hotly anticipated iNEXT Vision Vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased both in October and in the year-to-date, despite the ongoing volatility of the European market following the introduction of the new WLTP testing procedure at the beginning of September. Unlike many of its competitors, the BMW Group implemented the requirements of the WLTP regulations at an early stage, however the industry-wide shift to the new WLTP test cycle has resulted in significant supply distortions in Europe and unexpectedly intense competition, given that numerous competitor models without WLTP certification were registered before 1 September.

A total of 1,737,348 BMW brand vehicles were delivered to customers in the first ten months of the year, an increase of 1.8%. In October, sales grew 1.6% (171,131). The BMW X3 was a significant growth driver in October with sales up over 150% (20,573) thanks to significantly increased availability following start-of-production earlier this year in South Africa and China, in addition to the X3 vehicles built in Spartanburg USA. Other vehicles which have contributed to the BMW brand’s 1.8% growth in the year to date include the BMW 5 Series, which has been delivered to 316,579 customers around the world so far this year – an increase of 13.7%.

October saw sales at MINI increase by 2.1% (29,418) with the MINI Countryman the brand’s biggest growth driver in the month (8,536 / +13.8%). MINI sales in the year to date are slightly down on last year’s level (295,354 / -1.6%).

BMW Motorrad sales grew by 4.8% in October, with a total of 13,052 units delivered. Year to date, 139,845 (-0.3%) customers around the world have taken delivery of a new BMW Motorrad motorcycle or maxi-scooter.

BMW & MINI sales in the regions/markets

All three major sales regions have contributed to the BMW Group’s increased sales in the year-to-date. Thanks to full availability of current BMW and MINI models in Europe, sales in the company’s home region have increased in October and the year-to-date figure is at the same high level as last year. Deliveries in the Americas and in Asia in the first ten months of the year show steady growth.

*Provisional registration figures  

BMW Group sales in/ytd October 2018 at a glance

*BMW i, BMW iPerformance, MINI Electric