Chinese cars have developed from the Lahinghingstock in the industry to appreciate opponents for Legacy brands. And BMW probably knows that better than anyone else. If you look at the sales figures, you can say with certainty that the company in China does not go great. Last year, deliveries fell by 13% to 715,200 units, which led to the proportion of global deliveries fell from 32.3% to 29.2%. Despite the break -in, China remained the brand’s largest single market. However, the first half of 2025 was not better. Demand fell by 15.5% to 318,125 cars by June.
The silver strip for BMW is that it can partially compensate for the decline in China with stronger sales in Europe. Since 2022, deliveries on the continent have increased steadily and reached 948,500 units last year. 2025 will be another strong year. The results of the half -year showed an increase of 8.2% to 498,670 cars. With these figures, it is no surprise that the company’s seller is not too concerned about the competition of Chinese car manufacturers in Europe.
Jochen Goller told Autocar These low prices and EV incentives drive the growth of Chinese car companies on site. However, he believes that these newcomers will not achieve the same success in Europe because taxes and tariffs will drive their prices higher.
In addition to higher prices, Goller also pointed out that the customer preferences differ. Chinese buyers want “smartphones on wheels” while Europeans do not focus on digitization. Nevertheless, the new IDRIVE X-Infotainment BMW shows greatly into technically loaded cars to attract Chinese buyers.
BMW is far from ignoring the meteoric rise of Chinese brands. As a member of the Board of Directors, who is responsible for customers, brands and sales, Goller moved parallels between the rise of Chinese car manufacturers and the one, he made it clear that BMW does not underestimate the challenge:
“Of course you will occupy a certain market share; be it 10% or 15%, it will happen. We definitely do not take the Chinese easily: they build good cars. There are no bad cars in China.”
How does BMW fight back on the world’s largest car market? By introducing regional -specific products. The new class era begins next year with a Langrad-ix3 “Na6”, which is already annoyed, followed by an i3 “Na8”. The latter will replace the car presented here. It is a long-wave, electrical 3 Series limousine from Clar, “G28”, which has been sold in China since 2022 when the global i3 flusery rearback was dropped.
BMW even designs these products aligned in China locally in the new Shanghai Studio design works in order to enable greater differentiation beyond a stretched wheelbase. The company still relies on LWB models for the local market, since the hind leg freedom for buyers still remains an important priority.
Source: AutoCar (subscription required)
