Worldwide deliveries increase by 0.9%; strong sales in Europe and the USA; significant growth in China, Brazil and India; ‘Made in India’ G 310 R and G 310 GS among the top five models worldwide.
18 Jan 2019 | 10153 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
BMW Motorrad has sold more motorcycles and maxi scooters in 2018 than ever before. Compared to the strong previous year, deliveries increased by a further 0.9 percent albeit flat growth. As of December 2018 a total of 165,566 vehicles (2017: 164,153 units) were delivered to customers.
According to Dr Markus ...
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BMW Motorrad has sold more motorcycles and maxi scooters in 2018 than ever before. Compared to the strong previous year, deliveries increased by a further 0.9 percent albeit flat growth. As of December 2018 a total of 165,566 vehicles (2017: 164,153 units) were delivered to customers.
According to Dr Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, “2018 was another very successful year for BMW Motorrad. We achieved a sales record for the eighth time in succession.”
BMW Motorrad plans to achieve its future sales target of 200,000 units in the year 2020. According to Schramm, “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 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 lining up at the start with the BMW S 1000 RR at the FIM World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK).
Strong sales in Europe and the USA
BMW Motorrad has reported strong sales in big European markets and in the US. The most important markets 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). With 23,824 units, Germany is the largest individual market for BMW Motorrad yet again.
Significant growth in China, Brazil and India
BMW Motorrad 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, BMW’s two-wheeler division sold a total of 2,187 units in CY2018. The company said that launch of the locally produced BMW G 310 R and BMW G 310 GS, which roll out from TVS Motor Co’s Hosur, Bangalore plant in the third quarter boosted sales, contributing to over 75 percent of the total motorcycles sold in India. In 2017, the company had sold 252 units in the April-December 2017 period.
L-R: Dr Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, and KN Radhakrishnan, director and CEO, TVS Motor Company, with the milestone machine.
On December 13, 2018, the 50,000th BMW 310cc motorcycle rolled out from the Hosur plant in the presence of Dr Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, and KN Radhakrishnan, director and CEO, TVS Motor Company. In April 2013, TVS Motor Company and BMW Motorrad had signed a long-term strategic partnership to manufacture sub-500cc motorcycles for the globe. This collaboration has resulted in the launch of three products on the 310cc platform namely BMW G 310 R, BMW 310 GS and the TVS Apache RR 310.
Interestingly, the midsized capacity segment below 500cc is among the top five models for BMW Motorrad. A total of 24,363 units of the G 310 R and G 310 GS models produced in India since 2017 have already been delivered to customers by the end of 2018. The two agile all-rounders are thus among the Top Five of the top-selling models in 2018 and are very popular all over the world, says BMW Motorrad.
For the first time in BMW Motorrad’s history, more than 51,000 units of the R 1200/1250 GS and GS Adventure travel enduros alone 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. The R nineT model variants played a significant role here in 2018. The sports-oriented BMW S Series with the S 1000 RR Supersports Bike, the S 1000 R Power Roadster and the S 1000 XR Adventure Bike were sold 18,773 times worldwide.
2019 growth outlook
According to Timo Resch, “We expect to see further growth in sales for our vehicles in 2019, too. We are looking forward to the positive impulses generated by our new products from the R 1250 boxer family, the much anticipated new S 1000 R as well as the F 850 GS Adventure which expands the midsize BMW Motorrad model range. Expanding our urban mobility product range with the market launch of the two scooters C 400 X and C 400 GT will also have contribute to success in 2019.”
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