BMW Motorrad has announced that it has achieved a "new all-time high in the third quarter, with already more than 100,000 units sold so far this year as of August" and that its "repositioning of the brand moves ahead".
With 11,088 units delivered, as of September 2015 BMW Motorrad say they have achieved record sales for the ninth time in a row - with 112,411 units sold - some +12.2 percent up on the 100,217 units sold in the first nine months of 2014; with September 2015 up by some +11 percent on the 9,991 units sold in September 2014.
The BMW R Series contributed about 54.0 % to sales with 60,557 units sold. Apart from the traditional high-volume models R 1200 GS, GS Adventure and RT, the BMW R nineT has "firmly established itself" in 4th place in the BMW Motorrad ranking. Sales figures for the BMW R 1200 RS, the new touring sports model, are also said to be "developing positively".
The sports-oriented BMW S Series with the S 1000 RR Supersports Bike, the S 1000 R Power Roadster and the new S 1000 XR Adventure Bike, have" developed into a further key pillar in the BMW Motorrad model range".
Heiner Faust, BMW Motorrad Head of Sales and Marketing, said that “in 2006 we exceeded the magical figure of 100,000 units for the first time. Now we were able to exceed this figure four months earlier! Customer interest in our products is increasing worldwide and the desirability of the BMW Motorrad brand is steadily on the rise. Incoming orders for the coming months are gratifyingly high".
BMW say they recorded retail growth in almost all sales regions during the first nine months of the year. Germany remains their most important single market, with 18,825 units sold and a domestic German market share of around 25% in the relevant premium segment above 500 cc. Internationally their best market is the USA (13,362 units), followed by France (10,447 units), Italy (9,935 units) and Great Britain (7,241 units).
The company goes on to say that in the coming season they will "remain on a course of growth by presenting new models. We have already announced the strongly revised C 650 Sport and C 650 GT maxi scooters. Heiner Faust said that “we are following up in the urban mobility segment with strongly modified technology and two very attractive models. We will already be delivering our new maxi scooters within 2015, and two further models will see their world premiere this autumn".
BMW’s “Make Life A Ride” brand repositioning programme is described as "moving ahead "as the company "reorients itself".
Heiner Faust said that "without giving up our traditional strengths of innovation, safety and quality, our entire brand impact is now considerably more emotional. BMW Motorrad is turning into the desirable power brand.”
BMW is pointing to its event activity and movie sponsorships as giving expression to these "emotional" brand values.
Events such as the 15th annual BMW Motorrad Days (3-5 July 2015), at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the first "Pure & Crafted Music Festival presented by BMW Motorrad" (28-29 August) in the grounds of the Postbahnhof station in Berlin; with the BMW Group being the official vehicle partner for "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" - in which motorcycle fanatic Tom Cruise thoroughly abuses a BMW S 1000 RR supersports bike in a "don't try this at home kids" sequence that seeks to add adrenaline and testosterone to the traditionally sedate brand values that have so far done BMW no harm at all!
