The BMW Group’s first quarter of the year had its ups and downs. On the one hand, the BMW core brand saw its sales decline by 7.3% to 519,796 units. On the other hand, M and M Performance cars rose in popularity by 3.1% to 39,055 vehicles. In addition, Motorrad enjoyed an increase in demand of 11.3% to 47,403 units.
The numbers are also out for MINI and Rolls-Royce, and they’re rather good for both British marques. In the case of the Oxford-based manufacturer, shipments went up by 1.1% to 75,487. Just over 8,900 of them were of the Cooper SE, which is already undergoing testing for the next-gen model. To be built in China, the electric hatchback will go on sale at some point in 2023.
At the House of Rolls-Royce, Q1 2022 was the company’s best first quarter ever in terms of sales. Indeed, with 1,624 vehicles delivered between January and March, demand increased by a considerable 17.7%. RR will be busy all year long since it has enough orders from customers to last until early 2023. The order books for the Wraith and Dawn have closed as the two-door models will be discontinued after the current backlog of orders will be cleared.
At the same time, Rolls-Royce is working on its first-ever electric production car. A stately coupe, Spectre is scheduled to come out towards the end of next year. It will lead the way for the company’s EV agenda, culminating in 2030 when the V12 engine will be dropped altogether.
Busy Months Ahead
2022 is an eventful year both in terms of ICE and EV products. April 20 will bring us the new 7 Series G70 and i7, with the M4 CSL to follow in May. Entering production this year will also be the M2, i3 Sedan (China-only), M3 Touring, and the XM. In addition, the i5 is entering pre-production ahead of next year’s release when the new X1 will arrive together with an iX1. The compact electric crossover is going to be officially revealed before the end of 2022, with an equivalent next-gen MINI Countryman EV to follow shortly.
Of course, we haven’t even mentioned the facelifted models coming in the near future.
Source: BMW Group