Business – BMW barely beats its 2018 global motorcycle sales record – Pre-owned BMW

BMW narrowly breaks 2018 global motorcycle sales record

Business - BMW barely beats its 2018 global motorcycle sales record - Pre-owned BMW

And eight! Like Ducati last year, BMW Motorrad is breaking its sales record for motorcycles and maxiscooters worldwide for the eighth time in a row. But like Ducati in 2017, the increase is extremely limited: + 0.9%, or 165,566 machines… Explanations.

In the first six months of 2018, BMW sold a total of 86,975 motorcycles and maxiscooters worldwide. An impressive amount – especially compared to the average price of a "behem" with options! – which however represented a decrease of -1.6% compared to the first half of 2017.

According to the Bavarian manufacturer, this decline was due to "production adjustments necessary during the ramp-up phase (which) have a negative impact on the number of deliveries". Six months later, finance managers are rubbing their gloves: 2018 ended positively !

  • MNC special file :
  • MNC special file :
  • Motorcycle sales 2017 :

Certainly, like Ducati last year, BMW’s eighth consecutive increase in the world motorcycle market is very low: + 0.9%. In absolute terms, this means that the "motorrad" branch of the German group sold 1,413 more motorized two-wheelers than last year, or 165,566 in total..

What the bosses remember – and what shareholders should be proud of, "naturlich" – is that "BMW Motorrad sold more motorcycles and maxiscooters in 2018 than ever before". The propeller brand therefore maintains its objective: 200,000 units in 2020.

Business - BMW barely beats its 2018 global motorcycle sales record - Pre-owned BMW

"The good performances on the major European markets and in the United States were one of the cornerstones of these excellent sales figures", specifies the manufacturer whose main market remains Germany with 23,824 units (-10.7 %), ahead of France (16,615, + 0.05%!), Italy (14,110, -2.2%), Spain (11,124, -0.6%), the very Great -Brittany (9,224 with Ireland, -3.4%).

In emerging markets, BMW recorded substantial increases and achieved substantial volumes: 7,561 sales in China, ie "a growth rate of over 35%", 7,361 units in Brazil (+ 11%) and 2,187 in India via the very young BMW group sales subsidiary (opened in 2017).

Sales of the propeller brand continue to take off in the eastern planisphere … But what about in the "wild-wild-west"? BMW does not communicate figures but evokes the North American market through the good results of its "sehr gross" motorcycles: K1600GT, GTL, Bagger and Gran America…

Business - BMW barely beats its 2018 global motorcycle sales record - Pre-owned BMW

"With 8,306 units sold and a 25% increase in sales (+ 23.6% to be exact, NLDR), our 6-cylinder models are once again among the big winners of 2018," German officials say. "The United States, in particular, is an important market for these models".

Refreshed in 2017, the S1000R, S1000RR and S1000XR series has logically lost in attractiveness but still generated 18,773 sales worldwide (-13.7%). Launched in 2017, the small G310 R and GS brought in 11,595 additional sales (+ 10.1%).

Business - BMW barely beats its 2018 global motorcycle sales record - Pre-owned BMW

While the big German bosses welcome the brand’s leadership status in electromobility (142,617 electric or hybrid vehicles delivered in 2018), they ignore the low scores of the C Evolution. French officials stress that the homeland of human rights – and nuclear power! – is "the BMW Group’s first world market for the C evolution electric scooter with 846 registrations". A spark in an ocean of gasoline engines ?!

The R1200GS and Adventure were taken over at the very end of the year by the R1250GS. Advantage or handicap? The experts Miami MNC wonder. BMW observes while waiting that its "Gueese" has broken its 2017 record of a thousand copies with "more than 51,000 sales" in 2018.

Business - BMW barely beats its 2018 global motorcycle sales record - Pre-owned BMW

Overall, however, the BMW R series (flat or "fleet-twin", with or without "Shift Cam") totaled around 84,500 sales in 2018: this is a little less than the previous year, when 86,090 BMW at "Boxer" had found a taker. And much less than next year ?

“We anticipate further growth in sales of our vehicles in 2019,” concludes Timo Resch, BMW Motorrad Sales and Marketing Director. "We look forward to the positive stimuli generated by our new products in the R1250 boxer family", and to a lesser extent the F850GS Adventure and the C400GT

Finally, 2019 will also mark BMW’s return to World Superbike with its all new S1000RR, driven by 2013 world champion Tom Sykes and German champion Markus Reiterberger. Will the "zuperbaïk" beat the ZX-10R on the track and the Panigale V4 on the market? Answer to follow on MNC: stay connected !

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