The best-selling high-performance BMW in the world

Despite the introduction of the head-turning BMW M2, M3 Touring, and XM in 2023, the all-electric i4 M50 was the best-selling M car in the world for the second year in a row.

In doing so, the battery-powered i4 assisted the German automaker’s high-performance wing in recording its best year of sales ever. The M department closed out 2023 with a tally of 202,530 units sold, reflecting a noticeable increase of 14.3% in comparison to 2022.

It wasn’t the only successful division under the BMW umbrella, either.

The BMW Group which consists of BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce achieved a new all-time sales record, which was in no small part due to the rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EV).

A record-breaking year

In 2023, BMW delivered a total of 2,253,835 vehicles to customers worldwide including sales of M cars, posting an increase of 7.3% over the preceding year.

Fully-electric products, in particular, drove much of the hype. Deliveries of BMW EVs shot up by 92.2% last year to 330,596 units, the biggest movers being the iX1 and i4.

With the launch of the new i5 in 2023, BMW now also has an electric option in each of its main segments, and later in 2024, it will round out its battery-powered portfolio with the iX2 and 5 Series Touring.

Outside of the electric arena, the facelifted 3 Series, new X1, and locally-built X3 remained “especially popular” with consumers around the globe, and there was also heightened demand for the premium 7 Series and X7.

BMW’s sister brand Mini had a less exciting year but still recorded positive expansion, selling a total of 295,474 vehicles which is a year-on-year improvement of 0.9%.

Once again, the electric Cooper SE was the best-selling model in the automaker’s catalogue, which along with the limited-edition Cooper SE Convertible, made up 15.3% of all Mini sales in 2023.

For 2024, fans of the compact-car manufacturer can expect the release of four more EVs, including the new Cooper E and SE, as well as the Countryman E and SE.

The yet-to-be-unveiled Mini Aceman will also be joining the ranks soon and will be exclusively offered as a pure-electric model, unlike its siblings which can be had in petrol and battery guises.

Like the others, Rolls-Royce enjoyed a triumphant 2023 with the realisation of an all-time sales high.

The UK-based marque delivered 6,032 vehicles to customers last year – up 0.2% over 2022 – and saw growth in most of the 50 markets in which it operates.

The Cullinan SUV remained the most requested model, followed by the Ghost and Phantom sedans. Deliveries of the electric Spectre also kicked off in the last quarter of 2023, with orders for this EV already stretching into 2025.

Additionally, there were record interest levels at the manufacturer’s “Bespoke” division, which handles custom requests from ultra-wealthy buyers for whom a standard Rolls just would not suffice.

For the upcoming year, BMW is confident that it will be able to maintain its upward trajectory across all its brands and post another record-breaking performance.

“With a range of 18 fully-electric models spanning all its brands’ main segments, the BMW Group is laying a strong foundation for dynamic BEV growth in the coming years: One in every five of the company’s newly delivered vehicles will have a fully-electric drive train this year; by 2025, it will be one in four,” said Jochen Goller, member of the board of management of BMW.

“We see continued high demand for our fully-electric products and, based on our strong, cross-brand product portfolio, expect to sell more than half a million fully-electric vehicles in 2024“,