BMW, Mini BEVs achieve notable sales growth

BMW Group Australia has achieved what it has described as “notable sales growth” in the first nine months of 2023, headlined by outstanding results for its battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

To the end of September this year, registrations of BMW battery electric vehicles totalled 1869, almost doubling those of the same period last year (938).

Munich’s famed car marque has also overtaken arch-rival Mercedes-Benz in the Australian market year-to-date, placing 14th in the overall sales charts with 19,040 deliveries against 15th-placed Mercedes on 18,490 units.

This lead was established in September when BMW sold 2354 vehicles against 1702 Mercedes-Benz cars. It is the first time the two German premium brands have switched podium positions since 2011.

BMW says its iX has resonated particularly well with Australian customers, resulting in registrations of the flagship model increasing by 115 per cent (661 units versus 308).

The iX3 also continues to perform strongly after nearly two years on the market, up 38 per cent to the end of September (597 units versus 433).

BMW buyers have also shown “keen interest” in the newly launched iX1, claims the brand of a model that has achieved 391 units sales since its introduction to the market earlier this year.

The iX1 range will be expanded to include the iX1 eDrive20 early next year, the new entry point to BMW’s full electric range priced from $78,900 plus on-road costs.

BMW says the model is a “key component” of its new electromobility strategy, and one that will “offer an even wider selection of fully electric BMWs to customers”.

BMW Group Australia said that by Q1 next year, it will have four fully electric variants priced below $89,332 exempting them from both Luxury Car Tax (LCT) for fuel efficient vehicles and Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) for fleet operators. The four vehicles will include the iX1 eDrive20, iX1 eDrive30, i4 eDrive35, and iX3 M Sport.

The Bavarian brand says its “robust BEV sales growth contributed to a strong overall result” for its year-to-date (YTD) sales. Total registrations for BMW were up 4.7 per cent, with individual model highlights including a double digit increase for 1 Series and 2 Series, and a seven per cent uplift for the stalwart 3 Series.

Its 7 Series flagship limousine rose an appreciable 40 per cent and the 8 Series sportscar range is up 23 per cent.

BMW’s Mini sub-brand has also achieved impressive YTD sales growth with 3306 vehicles registered to the end of September – an increase of more than 26 per cent compared with the same time last year.

“The results come off the back of every Mini model line achieving growth,” said BMW Group Australia.