BMW has successfully maintained its position as the top-selling luxury automaker in 2024, despite a slight dip in sales. The Munich-based company shipped 2,200,177 vehicles, a 2.3% decrease compared to the previous year. However, its rivals faced even steeper declines, allowing BMW to stay ahead of the competition. Mercedes-Benz secured second place with 1,983,400 units, a 3% drop from 2023, while Audi rounded out the top three with 1,671,218 cars, suffering a significant 11.8% decline.
BMW had originally anticipated a slight increase in deliveries for 2024, building on the record-breaking numbers it achieved in 2023. However, the automaker was forced to delay the delivery of several vehicles due to a faulty integrated braking system (IBS), which affected over 1.5 million cars. This issue required technical adjustments to both new shipments and vehicles already in customers’ hands.
Although the figures BMW has released are provisional and may be updated in the forthcoming BMW Group Report 2024, they are not expected to change drastically. Given the current gap, it seems unlikely that Mercedes will catch up or surpass BMW by the end of the year. For a fair comparison, the report excludes vehicles delivered by MINI and Rolls-Royce, as well as Mercedes-Benz Vans, which also saw declines in their respective sales figures.
While BMW’s leadership in the luxury automotive market may be more of a point of pride than a game-changer, the company’s continued success speaks to the effectiveness of its diverse powertrain offerings. Despite not fully committing to electric vehicles (EVs), BMW saw a notable 11.6% increase in EV deliveries in 2024, with 368,523 all-electric cars sold. These EVs now make up 16.75% of the company’s total shipments, highlighting the growing importance of zero-emission models in its lineup.
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