BMW electric vehicle sales soar as Mercedes EV sales sink

Despite reports of softening electric vehicle (EV) demand, only one of Germany’s two major luxury vehicle brands seems to be feeling the pinch, with EV sales falling for Mercedes-Benz at the same time as cross-country rival BMW saw EV sales increase.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW both published Q2 sales numbers last week but the two companies’ results could not be more different.

Across the whole Mercedes-Benz Group, sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) amounted to just 51,000 in the second quarter of 2024, up only 1 per cent over first quarter and down 23 per cent on the same quarter a year earlier.

The majority of BEVs sold were by group subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Cars, with 45,800 sold, down 4 per cent on the first quarter and down 25 per cent on the second quarter of 2023.

Sales of all Mercedes-Benz Cars electrified vehicles – including plug-in hybrids – amounted to 90,000 in the second quarter, representing no growth on the first quarter and down 6 per cent on the same quarter a year earlier. However, this hides a 27 per cent growth in demand for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) compared to the previous year.

Conversely, BMW Group saw deliveries of fully electric vehicles grow by 24.6 per cent across the first half of the year, with a total of 190,662 BEVs delivered, thanks in large part to a 22.2 per cent growth of sales in the second quarter, which saw 107,933 BMW Group BEVs delivered.

The Group’s eponymous main brand saw BEV sales increase by 34.1 per cent across the first half of the year, with a total of 179,557 BEVs delivered. Subsidiary BMW Group brands Mini and Rolls-Royce accounted for the remaining 11,000 BEV sales reported by the Group over the year’s first six months.

Sales of electrified BMW Group models – including plug-in hybrids – increased by 8.5 per cent in the second quarter with 146,483 models sold, and up 9.6 per cent over the first half of the year with 269,065 models sold.