The sales growth of BMW Group battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is reflecting the growing increase in the appetite for the vehicles in Australia.

On both a global and local level, BMW Group is seeing considerable growth in its model portfolio and a rapid expansion in registrations of electrified products.

Here in Australia, registrations of fully electric BMW vehicles were up 1037 per cent on Q1 2021, with the fully electric MINI model recording a 200 per cent upsurge on same time last year.

Plug-in hybrid BMW models, meanwhile, recorded a 96 per cent increase in registrations.

BMW Group is excited about the future of electromobility in Australia and the role we can play in promoting new technologies, educating a wide range of stakeholders and bridging the knowledge gap around electric vehicles. Openness to different technologies is essential

Although the market share for electrified vehicles was just 1.95 per cent in 2021, BMW says it’s seeing a far stronger appetite for these powertrains in Australia, particularly over the past 12 months following introduction of the fully electric BMW iX, iX3 and i4.

BMW Group is excited about the future of electromobility in Australia and the role we can play in promoting new technologies, educating a wide range of stakeholders and bridging the knowledge gap around electric vehicles. Openness to different technologies is essential

Sales of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles combined grew by 146 per cent in 2021, while the total market grew by only 14 per cent. Fully electric vehicle sales grew by 191 per cent alone.

Registrations of BMW plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models, of which five are available to Australian customers, saw registrations climb to 165 units in 2022 from 84 in 2021.

Sales up across the board

The company says sales of its electrified product are up across the board in 2022. BMW’s Q1 2022 growth in registrations of fully electric vehicles grew from 19 units in 2021 to 216 in 2022.

Later this year BMW will introduce the first-ever i7, a model that combines flagship luxury elements with a fully electric powertrain. Its introduction will also mean that by the end of 2022 BMW Group Australia will offer 11 electrified models, which is among the most of any manufacturer represented in the country.

The MINI Electric Hatch, which launched in 2020, has continued to be a hot favourite with registrations up 200 per cent in the first quarter of this year (45 units in 2022 compared with 15 in 2021).

Registrations of BMW plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models, of which five are available to Australian customers, have also seen robust growth in the first three months of 2022 with registrations up 96 per cent (165 units in 2022 compared with 84 in 2021).

Worlwide growth

In 2021, the BMW Group sold more than 2.5 million passenger vehicles and more than 194,000 motorcycles worldwide.

By the end of 2025, BMW Group aims to deliver around two million fully electric vehicles to customers worldwide, with deliveries of BMW Group’s fully electric vehicles expected to grow by an average of more than 50 per cent annually by 2035.