BMW Motorrad registered a growth of 0.9 per cent in premium two-wheeler sales globally with 165,566 vehicles sold at the end of December 2018, as opposed to 164,153 units delivered to customers the previous year. The manufacturer registered significant growth in several key markets across the world including India, while established markets like Europe and USA continued to be the growth drivers for the company's motorcycle business. Helping the company build volumes were the made-in-India BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS motorcycles as one of the top five selling models. The manufacturer now is aiming to achieve a sales target of 200,000 units in the year 2020.
Speaking on the sales performance, Head of BMW Motorrad, Dr. Markus Schramm said, "2018 was another very successful year for BMW Motorrad. We achieved a sales record for the eighth time in succession. I would like to thank our customers most sincerely for the great trust they have placed in us again in 2018. The 2018 sales figure shows that our motorcycle growth strategy is taking effect. This success was achieved due to the market launch of six new models as well as the powerful BMW Motorrad product portfolio. And we still have a great deal planned for the coming years. Our ongoing model initiative in the premium segment continues. We will expand our product range with emotional and innovative new products in 2019, too. We will also be increasing our involvement in motorsport significantly. In the 2019 season, the new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team will be lining up at the start with the BMW S 1000 RR at the FIM World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK)."
The BMW R 1250 GS will be every bit as capable as the R 1200 GS, perhaps even more
Good performances across major European markets managed to push the sales figures for BMW Motorrad with markets like France (16,615 units), Italy (14,110 units), Spain (11,124 units) and the UK (9224 units). The company sold 13,842 units in the US, while Germany was the largest individual market for BMW Motorrad with 23,824 units sold.
In emerging markets, China became the largest market for BMW Motorrad with 7561 two-wheelers sold, growing at a rate of 35 per cent. Brazil saw 7361 units being sold registering a growth of 11 per cent. India, BMW Motorrad sold 2187 units in 2018, with nearly 1600 units of total sales contributed by the G 310 R and the G 310 GS motorcycles.
Globally, BMW Motorrad has produced 24,363 units of the G 310 R and G 310 GS since 2017 till the end of 2018. That said, the larger capacity R 1200/1250 GS and GS Adventure motorcycle are the more popular choice amongst customers with more than 51,000 units of the bikes sold. A total of 84,500 units of the R Series was sold during the last calendar year. The other models showing significant growth were the R nineT, while the S 1000 RR, S 1000 R, and S 1000 XR collectively sodl 18,773 units. The BMW K 1600 Bagger that is specific to the US market sold 8306 units, growing at a rate of 25 per cent.
Speaking on the vision for 2019, BMW Motorrad Head of Sales and Marketing, Timo Resch said, "We expect to see further growth in sales for our vehicles in 2019, too. We are looking forward to the positive impulses generated by our new products from the R 1250 boxer family, the much anticipated new S 1000 R as well as the F 850 GS Adventure which expands the mid-size BMW Motorrad model range." The manufacturer has two new scooters planned for launch globally in 2019 and include the 400 X and C 400 GT.
