Automaker delivers on promise
BMW Group has delivered on its promise to sell more than 100,000 electrified vehicles worldwide in 2017. The automaker will mark its accomplishment with a light installation that will make its headquarters look like a battery cell. BMW says that it is doing this to symbolize the change happening in mobility.
Harald Krueger, Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW Group, said that selling 100,000 electrified vehicles globally is a milestone and it’s just the start for the automaker. Since the introduction of the i3 back in 2013, BMW has sold more than 200,000 electrified vehicles.
The automaker will add 25 new electrified models by 2025 in order to expand its position as a leader in mobility services. It will introduce the fifth generation EV powertrain and battery technology by 2021 and use scalable platforms that are ready for electrification. BMW has trademarked i1 to i9 and iX1 to iX9 for its future electrified vehicles. Its Mini subsdiary will launch an all-electric hatchback in 2019 and an X3 EV, likely called the iX3, by 2020. An all-electric flagship, the BMW iNext, will feature autonomous driving capabilities and new interior connectivity options when it launches in 2020.
In Europe, the BMW Group has a 21-percent share of the market for electrified vehicles, which is three times its share for traditional combustion engine models. About 6 percent of BMW Group vehicle registrations in Europe are also for its electrified models. In western Europe and the U.S., total sales of electrified BMW brand vehicles make up 7 percent of the overall number. The automaker also projects that in its home country of Germany, new registrations of electrified BMW vehicles will surpass 10,000 units for 2017.
BMW says that every 10th 3 Series it sells is an electrified variant. Additionally, 13 percent of BMW 2 Series Active Tourer models sold in 2017 were plug-in hybrid variants. At Mini, the plug-in hybrid Countryman makes up for one in 10 examples sold. In addition to electrified vehicles, BMW also sells the C evolution, an all-electric scooter whose sales have increased by 80 percent for the first 11 months of last year.
Source: BMW