Although BMW failed to set a new sales record in 2024, its biggest rival has seen an even bigger decline in sales over the past 12 months. This has allowed the Bavarian brand to remain the most popular car manufacturer among luxury brands. The Munich-based company shipped 2,200,177 units, down 2.3% year-on-year. Mercedes had to settle for second place with sales of 1,983,400 units, down 3% from 2023. Audi finished on the podium with 1,671,218 units, down 11.8% from the previous year.
BMW initially expected to end this year with slightly more deliveries than in 2023, when sales hit a record high. However, the delivery of an unspecified number of vehicles was delayed due to a defect in the integrated braking system (IBS). The issue affects more than 1.5 million vehicles, including those that have already been shipped to their legal owners, and requires the company to take “technical measures.”
It is worth noting that the figures published by BMW are provisional and may change when the BMW Group Report 2024 is published later this year. However, it is unlikely to differ significantly. It’s hard to imagine Mercedes closing the gap, much less stealing the number one spot from BMW. To make the comparison fair, we do not include vehicles delivered by MINI, but MINI’s sales fell by 17.1% to 244,915 units. We also excluded the 5,712 cars sold by Rolls-Royce in 2024, where shipments decreased by 5.3%. Similarly, we do not include sales recorded by Mercedes-Benz Vans.
After all, being number one in luxury car racing is just bragging rights. That said, we think automakers in this segment are probably jealous that BMW is once again the undisputed leader. The company’s decision to offer a wide variety of powertrain combinations is paying off. Although the company is not fully committed to EVs, deliveries of zero-emission models increased by 11.6% in 2024. 368,523 cars sold last year were not equipped with an internal combustion engine. If you do the math, 16.75% of BMW shipments last year were electric vehicles.
