The BMW Group had ups and downs in the first quarter of the year. On the one hand, sales of the BMW Core brand fell 7.3% to 519,796 units. On the other hand, the popularity of M and M performance cars rose 3.1% to 39,055 cars. In addition, Motorrad enjoyed a demand of 47,403 units, up 11.3%.
The numbers are also for MINI and Rolls-Royce and they are good for both British marks. In the case of Oxford-based manufacturers, shipments rose 1.1% to 75,487. Of those, just over 8,900 were Cooper SEs, which are already being tested for next-gen models. To be made in China, the electric hatchback will be sold sometime in 2023.
In the House of Rolls-Royce, first-quarter Q1 2022 was the company’s all-time best in terms of sales. In fact, with 1,624 vehicles delivered between January and March, demand has increased significantly by 17.7%. RR will be busy all year round as there are ample orders from customers till the beginning of 2023. The order books of Wraith and Dawn are closed because the two-door models will be closed once the current backlog of orders is cleared.
At the same time, Rolls-Royce is working on its first electric car. A royal coupe, Specter is due out at the end of next year. This will pave the way for the company’s EV agenda, ending in 2030 when the V12 engine will be completely eliminated.
Busy months ahead
2022 is an eventful year for both ICE and EV products. April 20 brings us the new 7 Series G70 and i7, with the M4 CSL to follow in May. M2, i3 sedans (for China only), M3 Turing, and XM will enter production this year. Also, the i5 is entering pre-production before next year’s release when the new X1 will come together with the iX1. The compact electric crossover is set to be officially released before the end of 2022, soon to be followed by an equivalent next-generation MINI Countryman EV.
Of course, we didn’t even mention the facelifted models in the near future.
Source: BMW Group