Group grows in ‘challenging market’
BMW Group New Zealand completed a record number of registrations last year with 2,812 sales across its BMW and Mini brands, which was up 12 per cent from its 2022 result.
Mini’s registrations climbed 23 per cent to a new record of 1,048 units, while BMW’s 1,764 represented a year-on-year increase of six per cent.
The growth for both marques came despite the overall market for new passenger vehicles dropping by five per cent in 2023.
Highlights for BMW Group NZ include registrations for the BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle rising by 21 per cent last year and sales of the BMW 7 Series sedan jumping by 22 per cent.
The Mini Countryman also achieved double-figure percentage growth over the same time frame, with the 450 sales of its Sports Activity Vehicle up by 15 per cent from the previous year.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations for the company also hit new highs last year. There were 539 new BMW BEVs registered, an increase of 47 per cent, while Mini’s 358 BEV sales were up 30 per cent from 2022.
The BMW i4, pictured, was the marque’s best-seller last year with 133 registrations, which was 118 per cent more units than in the year prior.
The marque’s iX recorded 22 per cent growth with 73 units registered and sales of the Mini Electric Hatch were up more than 30 per cent.
BMW is set to expand its BEV offering in 2024, with eDrive20 variants of the iX1 and iX2 being introduced in the first half. By midyear, BMW will offer 12 fully electric variants to consumers.
Meanwhile, Mini will enhance its BEV offering with the introduction of new Cooper and Countryman models to the local market.
Adam Shaver, BMW Group NZ managing director, says: “We are delighted to have gone from strength to strength in 2023 even in challenging market conditions to deliver, in harmony with our valued dealer partners, a record number of vehicles across the country.
“Highlights have been across the board, notably for our range of battery electric vehicles with outstanding year-on-year growth.
“We now look ahead to continuing the momentum in 2024, with the arrival of new BEVs in key growth segments and supporting this model rollout with the continued expansion of our destination charging programme.”
