BMW posted a group-level delivery decline of 6.3 percent to 551,072 vehicles in the third quarter, weighed down by difficult business conditions in China. The company announced the figures on Tuesday, noting that despite the contraction, it performed better than domestic competitors, which reported drops ranging from just over 8 percent to nearly 20 percent.
In China, sales dropped by 24.8 percent to 114,355 vehicles as German manufacturers grapple with a price war within a shrinking market. Conversely, operations in Europe strengthened, supported by high demand for electric vehicles, including the iX3 from the Neue Klasse model generation. Sales across all drive types on the European continent rose by 2.7 percent to 235,628 autos, while deliveries of purely battery-electric vehicles surged by 37.5 percent to 81,941. Globally, BMW delivered 110,257 battery-electric vehicles during the period.
Deliveries also increased in the United States, rising 2.5 percent to 106,741 vehicles. The group benefited from its local plant in Spartanburg, shielding roughly half of its U.S.-sold automobiles from high tariffs. If diverging trends in the U.S. and China persist, the two markets could soon swap positions as the company's second- and third-largest regions behind Europe.
Looking at individual brands, core brand BMW experienced a 6.8 percent decrease, while Mini deliveries fell 2.4 percent to 70,712 units. Rolls-Royce reported an 18 percent decline to just over 1,069 vehicles. For the first nine months of the year, total deliveries reached 1.7 million automobiles, representing a 4.9 percent decrease compared to the same period of the previous year.
Board member for customer, brands and sales Jochen Goller stated that the company held its ground well in Europe and the U.S. amidst a difficult global market environment, adding that strong incoming orders for fully electric vehicles validate the current strategy.
