Sales of BMW battery electric vehicles in Australia more than doubled through the first quarter, while those of its Mini brand trebled – in sharp contrast to sluggish sales of its fossil fuelled fleet.
Sales of BMW branded Es more than doubled to 458, with the iX trebling its numbers to 255 in the first quarter and the iX3 doubling its sales to 175. There were also 15 sales for the premium i7 model.
The iconic Mini brand also owned by BMW also saw big growth with also saw strong numbers, with the Mini Electric Hatch BEV more than trebling its sales to 141 units sold, as against 45 in the first quarter of 2022.
The strong growth in Australia are better – at least in percentage terms – to the global sales of electric vehicles for BMW, which last week said it had recorded an increase of 83.2% in sales of BMW and Mini BEVs to 64,647 for the quarter.
That contrasts sharply with its overall sales. In Australia, overall sales of BMW and Mini cars, including combustion engine vehicles, were up just 4.2 per cent in Q1, with Mini gaining 35 per cent and BMW just 0.3 per cent, which the company blamed on supply challenges.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
