Africa-Press – South-Africa. BMW’s high-performance M division set a new global sales record in the 2023 financial year, selling more than 200,000 vehicles for the first time.
With 202,530 high-performance cars shifted globally, it was a 14.3% increase compared with the previous year. The US was again the most important single market for BMW M, ahead of Germany and the UK.The brand’s first all-electric performance model, the BMW i4 M50, was the best-seller. Last year also saw the launch of two other electric cars: the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Sedan and BMW i7 M70 xDrive.
The all-wheel drive i5 M60 xDrive is a premium business sedan with a power output of 442kW, making it the most powerful model in the new BMW 5 Series.
The i7 M70 xDrive, flagship of the 7-Series, is BMW’s most powerful electric car with 485kW and a maximum torque of 1,015 Nm.
Also launched was the BMW XM plug-in hybrid SUV, the brand’s outright performance champion with the Label Red model producing 550kW.
“The financial year 2023 was characterised both by our highly successful portfolio of highly emotional combustion engine vehicles and by our ongoing electrification offensive,” says Franciscus van Meel, head of BMW M. “Not least the ongoing success of the BMW i4 M50 confirms we are on the right track to further advance the electrification of our product portfolio and to combine sustainable drive technologies with an emotionally powerful driving experience.”
The new, second-generation BMW M2 made a decisive contribution to the increase in sales and the purist new BMW M3 CS was also enthusiastically received by fans of the brand, says Van Meel.
In addition, the continued popularity of the M3 and M4 helped drive the division’s sales. The M3 sedan was the world’s best-selling high-performance sports car in 2023, followed by the M4 Coupé. BMW attributed their popularity to their racetrack-ready performance with everyday and long-distance suitability.
In 2024 BMW M will boost its range with model revisions to the M3, M4 and M2 ranges, the introduction of an M4 CS, and the launch of the new M5, which will be available in sedan and Touring (station wagon) guises.
BMW M will also make a historic racing comeback by competing in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), with the highlight of the season being the return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 25 years after the BMW V12 LMR took overall victory in the race. BMW will compete with its new M Hybrid V8 which successfully completed its first season in the North American endurance series IMSA last year.
The Le Mans comeback will be accompanied by the racetrack premiere of the 20th BMW Art Car. One of the two BMW M Hybrid V8s competing at Le Mans will enter the race with a special design, created by world-renowned New York artist Julie Mehretu.
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