We still tend to underestimate the importance of the Chinese market for Legacy Luxury brands. Our analysis of the last sales figures 2024 shows why BMW has to come back into shape on the world’s largest car market. Despite a decline in deliveries from 826,300 to 715,200 last year, China remained the top region of BMW after the BMW. It had a share of 29.2% in the total delivery of the BMW Group last year, which decreased from 32.3% compared to 2023.
What caused the decline of 13%? BMW quotes two key factors. First, consumers are hesitating to give increasingly hesitant, more expensive vehicles from segments of the upper class. Second, the deliveries of certain models were stopped due to problems with the integrated brake system (IBS). The problem influenced 1.5 million cars worldwide, including 320,000 units that have not yet had to be delivered.
“One of the reasons for this was the continuing slowdown of consumer expenses for vehicles in higher price segments that, despite state support measures, did not improve noticeably. In the reporting year, also in the reporting year by vehicle delivery stops, which were connected to the specified IBS.”
BMW is a real power package in China, where it employs about 27,330 employees. The car manufacturer builds the 2 series, 3 Series, I3, X1 and IX1 in its Tiexi plant, while the X3, IX3, 5 and X5 are put together in the Dadong facility. Both plants are located in districts of Shenyang.
In 2024, Dadong produced 343,973 vehicles and did it worldwide the second most common BMW vehicles, which only remained in Spartanburg. Tiexi finished fifth with 284,045 units. Remarkably, around 85% of the cars built in China are sold on site.
With its joint venture with a large wall engine, BMW produces the electric mini Cooper and Aceman in China. The EV duo is put together by the Spotlight Automotive JV in a new factory in Zhangjiagen, where 67,561 cars were made last year. There were plans to build the two Mini -EVs in Oxford from 2026, but the British production was delayed indefinitely.
Some models are produced exclusively in China, such as the full electrical i3 sedan. It is based on the locally produced long-wall-3 series, one of several BMWs that were sold there with an elongated wheelbase. In the past, only limousines received the LWB treatment, but also the X1, X3 and X5 were stretched. In the future there will be new class models that are specific for the Chinese market and were developed locally in the design works Shanghai Studio.
Source: BMW
