Although BMW Group sales are down 4% to 2,450,804 units year over year, there are still reasons to celebrate. M had record deliveries in 2024, and the core BMW brand maintained its status as the world’s biggest luxury automaker. In addition, the share of electrified vehicles went up to 24.2%. That means that nearly one in every four cars sold was either a plug-in hybrid or an EV.
A total of 593,215 cars had a charging port, an increase of nearly 27,000 units or +4.8% compared to the previous year. Purely electric models from BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce represented 17.4% of the 2.45M cars sold in 2024, so 426,594 units, up by 13.5% compared to the previous year. The BMW Group makes the numbers seem even better than they are, posting a whopping 479.6% increase in Rolls-Royce EV sales. However, the Spectre wasn’t available globally from the start of 2023, so it’s not exactly a fair comparison. A total of 1,890 electric coupes were shipped from Goodwood last year.
The BMW Group will kick its electrification plans into a higher gear in the coming months. The first of at least six Neue Klasse models coming by 2028 will hit the market in late 2025. However, the world premiere should take place a few months sooner. It will effectively be a second-generation iX3 on the firm’s first dedicated EV platform.
The electric crossover will, therefore, move away from its CLAR underpinnings used by the outgoing model. The all-new iX3 is bound to become a production version of the 2024 Vision Neue Klasse X concept. It will be the first BMW to use iDrive X with a central 17.9-inch touchscreen and a pillar-to-pillar Panoramic Vision projection at the base of the windshield. At an additional cost, an optional new 3D head-up display will be available.
More importantly, the 2026 BMW iX3 will usher in sixth-generation batteries. Featuring round cells, the new pack will have a 20% higher energy density. Additionally, the Bavarian brand touts a 30% boost in range and 30% quicker charging over the fifth-gen prismatic cells currently in use. The new iX3 is rumored to deliver nearly 500 miles (800 kilometers) of range in the WLTP cycle.
Made in Debrecen, Hungary, the next iX3 will be followed shortly by the return of an i3, but in a different format. The electric sedan’s production is scheduled to start in Munich in 2026. The identities of other models have not been disclosed, but we’re expecting an i3 Touring and an iX4. Moreover, there will also be models styled by the Designworks Shanghai Studio for China
