BMW reports new record sales globally in 2021, with electric vehicle sales more than doubling; BMW now number one in premium segment

MUNICH, GERMANY

BMW has reported record sales figures in 2021 despite the challenges of the global pandemic and supply chain issues brought on by a shortage of semiconductor chips. The brand’s electric vehicle sales also more than doubled in the same period as well, driven by the introduction of new electric models like the BMW i4 and iX.

BMW sold 2,213,795 cars in 2021, a rise of 9.1 percent over the year before, catapulting it to number one in the premium segment ahead of rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The brand’s electric vehicle sales in 2021 tallied at 103,855 units, a 133.2 percent increase from 2020.

Overall, the BMW Group, including Mini and Rolls-Royce, sold 2,521,525 vehicles in 2021, representing an 8.4 percent increase overall from the previous year. Rolls-Royce in particular had a stellar year, breaking their all-time sales record in 2021 with 5,586 units sold.

“Despite supply bottlenecks and the continuing coronavirus pandemic, we achieved a strong sales performance in 2021, thanks to a powerful operational performance and stellar product line-up, said Pieter Nota, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer, Brands, Sales. He added, “With more than 100,000 fully electric vehicles sold last year, ramping up electro-mobility was our clear focus.”

Indeed, electric vehicles formed a significant proportion of BMW and Mini’s sales in 2021, with some 13 percent of the BMW and Mini models sold globally being electric models. The BMW iX3 took up one in ten of BMW X3 sales, while the Mini Electric accounted for a third of all Mini 3 Door sales in 2021. It adds that the Mini Electric already forms one in ten of all Minis sold worldwide.

BMW is aiming to boost its electric vehicle sales further with the impeding introduction of new electric versions of the BMW X1 and 7 Series, while further down the line, there will also be an electric BMW 5 Series, Mini Countryman and Rolls-Royce’s first ever EV, the Spectre.

By 2023, BMW aims to sell at least one fully electric model in 90 percent of its markets, and its target is to sell 10 million electric cars by the end of the decade. Mini and Rolls-Royce will also be fully electric brands only by the 2030s.

Asia remains BMW and Mini’s biggest regional market worldwide, with 1,065,141 cars sold in this part of the world last year, an increase of 8.2 percent. China accounted for 846,237 of those cars, helping the brand to a new record in that market. Figures for Singapore are yet to be released, but they are likely to reflect the same strong sentiment as seen worldwide.

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