BMW sold more than 2.1 million cars in 2022 alone while managing to double sales for its Group BEVs

Slightly battered by the headwinds of supply bottlenecks, China's lockdown, and the war in Ukraine, BMW recorded a 5.1% dip in sales for 2022. The final figure was nevertheless nothing to scoff at: The brand managed to deliver 2,100,692 units to its customers on its own. 

When taking Group sales into account (including the MINI and Rolls-Royce brands), the decline was slightly less steep. The total figure of 2,399,636 represents a 4.8% dip from what the entire Group sold in 2021. China remained its largest market, accounting for nearly 800,000 cars sold.

BMW nonetheless says it still has much to celebrate when zooming into the finer details. For starters, the Group has managed to retain its position as the leading brand in the global premium segment. 

Deliveries also apparently picked up in the second half of 2022, and together, the Bavarian brand and MINI were able to double its BEV sales from 2021 by delivering 215,755 all-electric vehicles to its customers. The Group has already promised that it will further expand its electric lineup later this year. 

Impressively, demand for the MINI Electric - currently the sole fully-electric model in the brand's lineup - jumped more than 25% in 2022 to hit 43,744 units. The number of electrified models sold by MINI swelled to 60,389 with plug-in hybrids included, representing around 21% of its worldwide sales. 

On that note, 2023 is shaping up to be an even bigger year for MINI as it celebrates 110 years of production at its main Oxford plant. MINI also took the chance to confirm that it would be unveiling its first two fully-electric models of the new MINI family in the coming months.

2022 was also a significant year for BMW itself as it widened its slate of electrified vehicles, for which sales increased 35.6% to stand at 372,956. Aside from the plug-in hybrids offered across most of its segments, the iX1 and i7 also joined other previously-released BEV models from the brand, including the i4, iX and iX3.

Another cause for significant celebration was the record year experienced by BMW M. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, the motorsport division ended the year with 177,257 units sold - 8.4% higher than in 2021. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, BMW's first two all-electric models - the i4 M50 and iX M60 - appear to have been instrumental in contributing to the all-time sales high.

But petrolheads may also be delighted to know that the M2 and M3 Touring were specifically singled out by the firm, which claims that the models "made a major contribution to sales growth". Most recently, BMW M reintroduced the manual-only 3.0 CSL with a limited run of only 50 units, before officially launching its first dedicated SUV, the XM, to customers. 

The news of BMW's successes with both its electrified and performance cars follows an equally euphoric sales announcement from Rolls-Royce, which sold more than 6,000 cars for the first time in its 118-year history for 2022. 

Just recently, BMW also provided customers with a glimpse of what to expect from its Neue Klasse line of BEVs with the unveiling of the i Vision Dee concept at the CES 2023. Set to debut in 2025, the cars will be built on a bespoke electric platform. The Group has said that it will continue revealing more about the vehicles over the year. 

Perhaps the final big revelation accompanying the full-year sales announcement was a series of plans outlined by BMW Group to increase its emphasis on direct sales to customers. 24 European markets have already been confirmed for the push, and the Group is hoping to enhance both customer satisfaction and its "premium brand experience" in the process.

BMW Group is also hoping that this system will create price transparency and a consistency in offerings across all its sales channels. MINI is targeting to start the new agency model from as early as 2024, with BMW to follow in 2026.