BMW Motorrad says it sold more motorcycles and maxi scooters in 2018 than ever before. Compared to 2017 deliveries increased by a further +0.9%. As of December 2018, a total of 165,566 vehicles were delivered to customers (164,153 units in 2017).
Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, said that “2018 was another very successful year. We achieved a sales record for the eighth time in succession. I would like to thank our customers most sincerely for the great trust they placed in us again in 2018”.
The company says this marks another step “towards reaching the planned sales target of 200,000 units in the year 2020. Schramm went on to say that “the 2018 sales figure shows that our motorcycle growth strategy is taking effect. This success was achieved due to the market launch of six new models as well as the powerful BMW Motorrad product portfolio, and we still have a great deal planned for the coming years.
“Our ongoing model initiative in the premium segment continues - we will further expand our product range with emotional and innovative new products in 2019, too. We will also be increasing our involvement in motorsport significantly”. In the 2019 season, the new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team will be lining up from the start with the BMW S 1000 RR.
With 23,824 units, Germany was the largest single market for BMW Motorrad again, but “the good performances in the other big European markets and in the US were also a major cornerstone for these successful sales figures”. BMW’s most important markets in 2018 were France (16,615 units), Italy (14,110 units), Spain (11,124 units) and the UK/IE (9,224 units), as well as the USA (13,842 units - another record high).
BMW says it is continuing to expand in China and Brazil, too. With 7,561 BMW motorcycles and scooters sold and a growth rate of over 35%, China together with Brazil (7,361 units/+11%) are among the markets with the strongest growth. In India, with 2,187 units sold in 2018, the BMW Group’s own sales subsidiary has successfully established itself following the start of business there in 2017.
For the first time more than 51,000 units of the R1200/1250 GS and GS Adventure travel enduros were sold. With a total of around 84,500 units, “the traditionally strong R Series once again confirmed its leading position in the overall range”, with the R nineT model variants also playing a significant role in 2018.
Some 18,773 units of the sports-oriented BMW S Series were sold worldwide, with the S 1000 RR Supersports, the S 1000 R Power Roadster and the S 1000 XR Adventure “showing that they continue to be an important pillar in the BMW Motorrad range”.
Below 500 cc, 24,363 units of the G 310 R and G 310 GS models that were introduced in 2017 were sold in 2018 - both being among their “Top Five” sellers.
“Sales of the 6-cylinder models are also developing very positively. In its second year of sales, the K 1600 Bagger, which is tailored specifically to the US market, is proof of the unbroken trend towards large-capacity, emotional touring bikes,” said Timo Resch, BMW Motorrad Head of Sales and Marketing. “With 8,306 units sold and a 25% increase in sales, our 6-cylinder models were among our big winners in 2018.
“The USA especially is an important market for these models. We will continue to increase our involvement in the US in order to strengthen BMW Motorrad’s position there. We will respond to the special market requirements in the USA with a further highly emotional and very authentic BMW Motorrad product.”
BMW says it is offering its “most powerful product portfolio of all time in 2019” and that it is in “excellent shape all round. We expect to see further growth in sales for our vehicles in 2019 and we expect our new products from the R 1250 Boxer family, the much anticipated new S 1000 R as well as the F 850 GS Adventure, all to be received positively. We are also expanding our urban mobility product range with the market launch of the C 400 X and C 400 GT scooters”.
