BMW Group India has announced total sales of 8,876 cars (including BMW: 8,236 units and Mini: 640 units) in 2021, registering a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 34.4%. The company claims it was the “highest growth achieved in a decade” though overall numbers remained lower than what the automaker has managed in the past few years.
The group’s two-wheeler brand, BMW Motorrad, however, managed to buck the trend and doubled its sales to 5,191 units in 2021.
After a substantially muted 2020, BMW India posted 35% recovery with sales of 8,236 units last year. The continued effect of the pandemic, combined with the semiconductor crisis, meant that despite the uptick, 2021 sales were lower than its 2017 figures. BMW sold 9,379 cars in 2017, with 10,405 units in 2018 and 9,000 vehicles in 2019.
Mini India reported a similar trend. It managed to move 421 units in 2017, with 700 cars in 2018 and 641 units in 2019. With COVID-19 induced lockdowns, sales fell by 20% in 2020 (to 512 vehicles), though they recovered by 25 % (to 640 units) last year. With 2021 continuing to be a turbulent year, Mini was unable to surpass its 2018 record.
Commenting on the performance, Vikram Pawah, president, BMW Group India, said, “Greater flexibility and farsighted planning in business processes ensured that we overcame unpredictable market situations and increased our market share.”
Locally assembled SUVs, including the X1, X3 and X5, accounted for 40% of BMW India’s sales in 2021. Without mentioning the stats, the company also noted that the 3 Series and 5 Series remained ‘strong contributors’ in the sedan segment.
Coming to Mini, the brand reported that one in every two vehicles it sold in India last year was a locally produced Countryman. The Mini Hatch and Convertible models made up for 18% of the sales, each.
BMW Motorrad has its best ever year in India
BMW Motorrad, which debuted in India in 2017, saw its best-ever sales last year. It managed to double its numbers, with 5,191 units sold in 2021. The company says this is the “highest ever sale by a premium motorcycle manufacturer” in the country. The BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS were the volume drivers, with over 90% share in BMW Motorrad’s numbers. The brand says other models, including the BMW S 1000 RR, BMW R 1250 GS / GSA, BMW F 900 R / XR, BMW R 18 and the BMW C 400 GT scooter, also proved to be popular.
