By all fair accounts, BMW Motorrad’s sales drop in 2020 (the first in nine years) should still be considered a positive result considering the circumstances, though perhaps not quite the extent that BMW’s press release would lead you to believe.
This is because the German brand is busy spinning its 2020 motorcycle sales figures with a full-court press, including the caveat that 2020 was the second-best sales result in BMW Motorrad’s history (which they are), though the success of BMW Motorrad varies greatly by region.
In Europe as a whole, BMW Motorrad saw its sales volume drop by 5.3%, though even that figure doesn’t show the whole picture, as Germany (27,516 units) and France (17,539 units) both had record years for motorcycle sales, posting 4.7% and 1.4% gains respectively.
Those gains though were offset by rather large losses from Italy, Spain, and the UK/Ireland. BMW Motorrad conveniently didn’t provide the 2019 figures for these countries, nor their percentage drop, in its 2020 sales press release, but our records at A&R show these sales figures to be the follow percentage decreases: Italy (-10.7%), Spain (-12.5%), and UK/Ireland (-23.9%).
The Germans also conveniently left out any mention of the North American markets entirely, despite the region being one of the biggest for BMW Motorrad.
Such an omission is likely due to especially lackluster results, especially struggling sales in the United States, though we will have to wait for further reports to become available to truly address the situation.
To aid its sleight of hand regarding this, and the struggling European markets, BMW Motorrad did boast about its sales in China (+33.7%) and Brazil (+6.4%) – two developing markets for large-displacement motorcycle sales.
Diving into the model lines, BMW Motorrad attributes almost half of its sales to its boxer-engine machines, though they don’t break that information down further.
We do know from past reports that the BMW R1250GS lineup accounts for a good number of those bikes, as the ADV is often BMW Motorrad’s best selling unit.
Roughly 10% of BMW Motorrad’s sales came from the BMW G310R and BMW G310GS, while BMW twin-cylinder midrange accounted for 20% of its sales.
Talking specifically, the BMW F900R and BMW F900XR sold a combined 14,429 units, which is about 40% of BMW’s midrange sales, which isn’t a bad debut for these two brand new models.
Looking ahead to what 2021 has to offer BMW Motorrad, Timo Resch, Head of Sales and Marketing at BMW Motorrad, said the following: “We will again deliver a variety of strong new products to our customers in 2021 together with our strong partners. The M1000RR, one of the most spectacular sports bikes, is waiting to be released onto the racetracks of this world.”
“As a relaxed counterpoint, we are sending the R18 into its first full season with a rich range of accessories. With the S1000R, we are launching a highly emotional and uncompromising power roadster featuring super-sporty riding dynamics. We will also present one or two surprises with regard to e-mobility this year.”
Source: BMW Group
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