Status: 04/11/2023 3:40 p.m
The manufacturer BMW sold fewer vehicles overall in the first quarter than in the previous year. On the other hand, the business with electric cars is experiencing a boom – especially in the core brand of the Munich group.
The sales figures at the BMW car group fell slightly overall at the beginning of the year. From January to the end of March, the group sold 1.5 percent fewer cars worldwide than in the same quarter last year. Global sales fell to around 588,000 vehicles, the company said.
In China, deliveries of almost 195,000 cars were even 6.6 percent below the previous year, which the group explained with the Corona aftermath. In Europe, sales of 216,000 cars were 1.9 percent down on the previous year. In the USA, on the other hand, it increased by 11.2 percent to almost 90,000 cars.
Further growth planned
However, BMW achieved significant growth with electric cars: The increase in sales amounts to 83.2 percent compared to the same period last year. According to the company, the BMW and Mini brands sold more than 64,500 electric cars in the first three months of the year. The growth in the electric car business was even greater for the core brand BMW. With almost 56,000 deliveries, the brand increased sales by 112.3 percent.
In the first quarter, the BMW Group managed to “maintain a dynamic pace in the ramp-up of electromobility,” said Pieter Nota, BMW board member. For the coming years, the car manufacturer is planning further significant growth in this segment of the group will be fully electric, in 2025 one in four and in 2026 one in three.
“Clear upward trend in March”
Despite the overall weaker quarter, the group predicts an overall successful financial year. “Across the world, there was a clear upward trend in March,” the company said. A stabilization of the economy in China is to be expected in the course of the year. Sales Director Pieter Nota sees BMW “on course for slight growth in 2023 as a whole. In addition to the new 7-series combustion engine models in the luxury class and the renewed X7 SUV, all-electric vehicles are key growth drivers, according to the top manager.
BMW expects positive impetus from the upper market segment in particular. The company is expecting growth in the mid double-digit percentage range here, according to the statement.
Recovery possible in China
At least at the dealer level, there are signs that BMW’s forecast for China could be confirmed. According to data from the manufacturer association CAAM (Chinese Association of Automotive Manufacturers), car manufacturers sold 2.45 million vehicles to dealers in March – 9.7 percent more than in the same month last year. Sales of vehicles with alternative drives increased by more than a third. However, the CAAM figures also include commercial vehicles.
By contrast, end-customer demand for passenger cars developed less dynamically in March than dealer sales. According to preliminary figures, the industry association PCA (Chinese Passenger Car Association) reported 1.6 million passenger cars delivered to customers last week, which roughly corresponds to the previous year’s level.
China is the largest car market in the world. The country is also the most important single market for the German car manufacturers Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.