It was only last month when the BMW Group announced it had delivered two million plug-in hybrid and electric cars and now it’s celebrating another milestone. The German automotive conglomerate has sold one million vehicles without a combustion engine from its BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce brands. It all started back in 2013 when the quirky i3 hatchback went on sale.
After the share of EVs rose to 14.7% in 2023, this year is off to a great start. The BMW Group shipped 82,700 vehicles without an ICE globally in the first three months of the year. This represents a jump in demand of 27.9% compared to Q1 2023. That’s despite the fact there’s no true entry-level EV available in the company’s lineup, following the i3’s demise in mid-2022.
Regarding the core BMW brand, EV shipments jumped by 40.6% over the first three months of last year, reaching 78,691 units. Fueling the strong demand were the i4, iX3, iX1, iX, and the i7, the luxury brand notes. The iX2 and i5 are also having a good start. The i5 Touring will have its market launch in May, initially in Europe and Japan.
Factoring in plug-in hybrid vehicles, the BMW Group shipped 122,616 PHEVs and EVs in Q1 2024, an increase of 11% over the same period of last year. The most exciting plug-in hybrid models to date will arrive later this year: the M5 Sedan (G90) and the M5 Touring (G99).
The real EV revolution should come in 2025 with the first Neue Klasse model. It’ll be a successor to today’s CLAR-based iX3 crossover. Come 2026, an i3 sedan will join the lineup. At least four other NK-based electric cars are coming out by 2028. Although nothing is official, BMW reportedly intends to launch a spiritual successor to the i3. It’s tentatively called the “i1” but it’s not going on sale before 2028. This volume-oriented model would help the BMW Group achieve its goal of having EVs account for more than 50% of total annual sales by 2030.
Source: BMW
