Around 116,600 passenger cars were sold in the UK by the German automaker BMW in 2021, an increase of just 1% from the previous year. Within the context of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020, UK auto sales plummeted. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s issuance of new license plates is what causes the surges in March and September. BMW was the fourth most valuable automobile brand in the world as of 2021.
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Monthly market share for BMW cars in the United Kingdom from 2015 to 2021
BMW had a market share of roughly 5.91 percent in December 2021. In December 2021, customers in the UK purchased roughly 6,400 BMW-branded vehicles, a decrease of more than one third from the previous year. Since 2016, the UK’s car registrations have mostly been declining, with a small uptick in 2021 as the nation recovered from the nationwide lockdowns of 2020.
Report in a flash, July 2022
*Occasionally, there are variations between recently released data and the specific information in the database due to a variety of factors, such as different information sources and conflicts between unconfirmed data and early reports.
July saw a 9.0% drop in passenger car sales in the UK. On August 4, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that in July 2022, passenger car sales in the UK fell by 9.0% to 112,162 units. With 914,241 cars registered in the first seven months of 2022, year-to-date sales have declined by 11.5%. Audi sales fell 12.5% to 8,915 vehicles (7.9% share), Volkswagen sales fell 18.2% to 10,182 units (9.1% market share), and Toyota sales down 3.7% to 8,820 units (7.9% market share) in July. Ford sales dropped 15.5% to 7,241 cars (6.5% share), while BMW sales dropped 0.1% to 7,855 units (7.0% share). The Nissan Qashqai (2,514), MINI (2,410), Hyundai Tucson (2,267 units), VW T-Roc (2,221), and VW Golf (2,221 units) were the most popular vehicles in July 2022. (2,204 units). Sales of gasoline-powered vehicles fell 7.2% to 51,924 units (45.7% share) compared to last July, while sales of diesel-powered vehicles fell 29.3% to 6,210 units (5.5% share), HV sales fell 6.1% to 35,882 units (32.0% share), PHEV sales fell 34.0% to 6,533 units (5.8% share), and EV sales rose 9.9% to 12,243 units (10.9% share). In July, fleet sales declined 18.2% to 50,014 units (44.6% share), private automobile sales were completely unchanged at 59,847 units, and sales to companies decreased 0.5% to 2,301 units (2.1% share). In July, sales of all vans up to 3.5 tons dropped by 20.7% to 18,722 units. In July, sales of trucks weighing between 3.5 and 6.0 tons fell by 28.3% to 337 units. In July, sales of taxis rose 92.3% to 150 units. SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said “As the supply crunch hinders delivery, the automotive industry is relying on its basic resiliency to get through a third straight difficult year. Even while the sector is well-positioned to meet the government’s demands for carbon reductions, a healthy market is still necessary. The next prime minister must foster economic expansion, boost consumer confidence, and assist the shift to zero-emission transportation.”
BMW sales increase 9.1% in the strongest year ever.
Despite supply shortages and problems brought on by the Covid-19 epidemic, BMW recorded its highest yearly sales results to date in 2021 with growth of 9.1%.
The German company topped the global premium segment sales charts with a total of 2,213,795 units sold.
The huge gain, according to BMW, is the result of its newly revised lineup, “strong operational performance,” and a “clear focus” on accelerating the manufacture of electric vehicles.
You assert that the PS80k M3s, PS120k M5s, and the X6M are off-putting. While others weren’t
Never claim not to have been warned! Just two days ago, we made a suggestion that BMW M would receive a lot of attention on PH this year as it marks its big 5-0, and now we’re back. Yes, it’s another sales tale, but it demonstrates that M Division is in excellent shape as it approaches its anniversary. Sales were up 13% from 2020, exceeding previous records. In reality, 163,542 BMW M vehicles were sent to consumers in 192 countries in 2021.
Which is a rather noteworthy accomplishment considering the brand didn’t offer a M car based on a 2 Series in that year (i.e., the more inexpensive route to ownership). Of course, more than one SUV contributes to the sales figures, but according to BMW, the new M3 and M4 have received a “overwhelming” response, with all three models—the coupe, saloon, and convertible—getting off to “an extremely successful start” and representing the line-biggest up’s growth drivers. Since 2022 is the first full year of the xDrive automobiles, there will only be more from here. Additionally, you should consider the M3 Touring, which you may or may not be familiar with.
Both the X5 and X6 M, which were introduced in 2020, made “a substantial contribution” to sales in 2021, according to BMW. Naturally, the M Performance X vehicles were well received as well, with particular acclaim for the X3 M40i and X7 M50i. Last but not least, the 4 Series receives special attention; according to BMW, “the current boost to sales goes above all to the M models based on the new 4 Series,” which includes the M440i and M440d in its different guises. It’s interesting to note that neither the 1 Series nor the 5 Series analogues are mentioned.
So it makes sense that there are high expectations for further success in such an important year. Not least of all with a flood of new fast automobiles also arriving. For starters, the M240i xDrive will go on sale; if it proves to be as popular as the previous model, BMW will be onto a hit. On the other end of the spectrum, the XM’s manufacturing will start, and it would take a brave person to wager against the car’s commercial success despite its appearance. Along with the Touring, BMW has confirmed “an exceptional special-edition model based on the new M4 Coupe.” There are also the electric M cars to take into consideration (the i4 M50 and iX M60), plus, of course, the really exciting stuff. Additionally, trading the XM for a new CSL (or whatever it ends up being) seems fair, doesn’t it?
Vehicle sales data for the UK and the world
In 2021, the number of new passenger automobiles purchased and sold in the UK fell to all-time lows. 1.65 million new passenger cars were registered for sale in 2021, a 28.7% decrease from pre-pandemic levels.
Because of the continuous impact of the worldwide semiconductor shortage and the crisis in Ukraine on supply chains, new car registrations have been declining so far in 2022.
The UK new car market has had a 10.7% year-to-date decline, with 118,203 less vehicles sold in September 2021 (983,099 versus 1,101,302) and 9% fewer vehicles sold in July 2022 compared to July 2021. (112,162 versus 123,296).
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the market is unlikely to be able to recover from the considerable losses incurred thus far, even though the sector anticipates the final few months of 2022 to improve as supply issues start to fade (SMMT).
With the sector facing its most difficult year in three decades, it has reduced its projection for the entire year downward to 1.6 million new auto registrations, a 2.8% decline from 2021.
A year’s worth of registrations have been lost since Covid-19, or almost two million registrations.
The pandemic has also had an impact on the used automobile market in the UK. With 6.7 million cars sold in 2020, the used car market had a 15% decline from the previous year. It performed better in 2021, expanding by 11.5% over 2020, with 7.5 million cars sold. The performance in 2021 was still 5.5% under the pre-pandemic five-year average.
Sales decreased by 3.1% to just over 1.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, with December’s sales falling by 10.2% as cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant surged and limitations tightened.
With 1,774,351 cars changing hands in the UK during the first quarter of 2022, used car sales increased by 5.1% when compared to the same period in 2021. However, nationwide showrooms were shut down in Q1 2021 owing to lockdowns related to the epidemic, with only online auto sales permitted.
The SMMT said that a strong market in January and February, with increases of 17.7% and 7.4%, respectively, drove used car sales in the first quarter of 2022. On the other hand, there was a 6.8% fall in March.
The used automobile market in the UK experienced an 18.8% decline in the second quarter of 2022. Year-to-date sales are 12.8% behind pre-pandemic 2019 and the overall number of sales for the first half of the year are down 8.3% from 2021.
The UK is currently the seventh-largest market for new cars globally, but in 2022 this could change as Brazil is predicted to increase its passenger car ownership, which could push the UK down to eighth.
With almost 25 million new automobiles purchased there each year, China is the largest market for passenger cars worldwide. The second-highest number of new automobiles sold are in the USA, followed by Japan, Germany, and India.
The German business has risen to the top of the premium market.
It seems strange that every manufacturer is lamenting the chip shortage even as several of them are anticipating their strongest-ever sales in 2021. Now, despite the challenges and production disruptions in the automotive sector, BMW is joining brands like Porsche, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce(see the linked links below) with record deliveries last year.
2,213,795 automobiles were sold under the BMW brand internationally in 2021, an increase of 9.1 percent over the previous year. The outcome made last year the brand’s best-ever sales year. 510,727 vehicles in total were sold only in the final three months of the previous year.
All BMW models witnessed a significant increase in sales in the United States of 20.8 percent to 336,644 units, which was comparable to the year before the coronavirus 2019. Unsurprisingly, 60% of all sales in the nation last year were made by the BMW X series. The combined sales of BMW and Mini increased by 3.9 percent in Europe. It’s interesting to note that in Belgium, BMW lead the entire European market for the first time ever.
The BMW M division was a significant contributor to the record year as well. The performance division of the carmaker supplied 163,542 BMW M automobiles globally, which is 13.4% more than in 2020. Without going into great detail, the Bavarian brand claims that demand for the M3 and M4 increased significantly, and that demand for the X5 M and X6 M also increased significantly year over year. The iX M60 and i4 M50 will also contribute to the overall sales of the BMW M in 2022.