2015 was the most successful year ever for the BMW Group with annual sales setting a new record for the fifth year in a row. A total of 2,247,485 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers around the world last year, an increase of 6.1% on the previous year. December 2015 saw 213,537 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles sold (-0.8%).
“In 2015, we launched a total of 15 new or refreshed models and our results show that these innovative new vehicles are popular with customers,” commented Dr Ian Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW AG responsible for global sales and marketing BMW, speaking at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “Our sales grew consistently throughout the year, despite headwinds in some markets. We expect many of those challenges to continue into 2016, so it’s important we continue to respond flexibly to market conditions in order to maintain our success,” he continued.
BMW also achieved a fifth consecutive annual sales record, with the brand delivering 1,905,234 vehicles to customers in 2015, an increase of 5.2% on the previous year. The brand’s sales for December were close to the outstanding result of the previous year with a total of 176,681 BMW’s delivered to customers (-0.7%).
Products throughout the BMW range achieved significantly higher sales in 2015, compared with the year before. The BMW 2 Series is proving very popular with customers with a total of 157,144 sold in the year. With a total of over 107,000 units sold, the BMW 2 Series Active and Gran Tourer sold extremely well in their first full year, accounting for over two-thirds of those sales. Similarly successful was the BMW 4 Series, where sales increased by 27.4% to total 152,390. Deliveries of the BMW X4 more than doubled to a total of 55,050 (+153.8%). Overall, the BMW X family continues to be a significant growth driver for the brand with sales of the BMW X5 up 14.1% to total 168,143 worldwide and deliveries of the BMW X6 increasing by over 50% to 46,305.
BMW i sales increased by 65.9% in 2015 with a total of 29,513 units delivered to customers. The keys to a total of 24,057 BMW i3s were handed over to customers around the world (+49.9%) while sales of the BMW i8 reached a total of 5,456.
MINI achieved a new all-time annual sales record in 2015 with a total of 338,466 vehicles delivered to customers worldwide, an increase of 12.0% compared with the previous year. A total of 127,194 MINI 3 doors were sold around the world in 2015 (+0.2%) while 94,788 customers took delivery of a MINI 5 door. The new MINI Clubman, which went on sale in October, was delivered to 8,003 customers.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW AG board member responsible for MINI, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce commented: “We are delighted that our fresh new model range has achieved MINI’s best-ever sales result. The MINI 3 door is as popular as ever and the MINI 5 door has attracted many new customers to the brand. I am sure the new MINI Cabrio, due on the market in March, will provide further momentum going forward into 2016. Our success last year shows that the MINI is heading in the right direction.”
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced the second highest sales record in the brand’s 112-year history. The Goodwood-based brand delivered 3,785 units (-6.8%) to customers globally during 2015. Strong sales were reported worldwide, with the exception of Mainland China where significant headwinds have impacted on the entire luxury sector. Sales were driven by the success of Wraith and Ghost family motor cars in all regions, whilst Phantom remains the company’s pinnacle product, reaffirming its status as the world’s most desirable super-luxury good. The new Rolls-Royce Dawn drophead was unveiled in September, breaking all previous records for pre-orders. First customer deliveries will take place in Q2 2016.
The BMW Group achieved an increase in deliveries in all major sales regions in 2015, in line with the company’s policy of striving for balanced sales around the world.
Almost one million BMWs and MINIs were sold in Europe in 2015. The region was a significant growth driver with annual sales totalling 999,669 (+9.4%). Many markets in the region achieved double-digit sales growth in 2015 with deliveries in Great Britain, BMW Group’s fourth largest market, up 12.7% (230,652) whilst sales in France increased 15.0% (77,577). Southern European markets also continued recovering well with sales up 19.2% (45,550) in Spain and up 12.3% (71,173) in Italy.
The Americas achieved a 2.8% increase in sales of BMW and MINI vehicles in 2015, with a total of 494,629 units delivered to customers in the region. In 2015, a total of 404,537 BMWs and MINIs were sold to customers in the USA (+2.2%) while sales in Canada climbed 10.1% to total 42,052 and Mexico achieved a sales increase of 17.3% (17,475).
In Asia, sales of BMW and MINI increased by 4.2% in 2015, with a total of 684,121 vehicles sold in the region. In 2015, a total of 463,736 BMW and MINIs were sold in Mainland China (+1.7%). In South Korea, 54,575 customers took delivery of a new BMW or MINI, an increase of 17.6%, while sales in Japan rose 8.1% to total 69,199.
Once again, BMW Motorrad also sold considerably more Motorcycles and Maxi-Scooters in 2015 than in the previous year. It was the fifth consecutive year that the BMW Group’s Motorrad segment achieved a new all-time high. With 136,963 (prev. yr. 123,495) vehicles delivered in 2015, BMW Motorrad achieved a growth of 10.9% on the previous year. In December, deliveries also increased to reach a new all-time high of 7,497 units (prev. yr. 7,032) and a growth of 6.6%.
