- BMW has now built over 2 million EVs, making it one of the top Western EV makers.
- BMW reached EV scale without relying on one breakout model like Tesla’s Model Y.
- Neue Klasse could help BMW deliver its next million EVs much faster.
While many rivals changed course on their electric vehicle strategies more than once, BMW stuck to its well-thought-out plan and quietly became one of the most successful Western EV manufacturers. Now it has announced that it has built its 2 millionth EV, a blue i5 M60 built for a customer in Spain, which rolled off the production line at the Dingolfing plant in Germany.
With over 2 million EVs now sold, BMW is only behind Tesla and Volkswagen among Western automakers, at least based on publicly available data. Tesla says it has delivered some 9.2 million vehicles, while Volkswagen delivered 4 million all-electric vehicles, with about 3 million based on the MEB alone. VW also builds many EVs in China, but it says that around 77% of its 4 million EVs were manufactured in Europe.
5
Source: BMW
BMW isn’t typically regarded as an EV heavyweight, but if you look at its electric model history and how it built its electric lineup, it all starts to add up. Tesla relied on two exceptionally popular models, the mechanically related Model 3 and Model Y, whereas BMW took a much more flexible, broader approach, and no single model was the key to its success.
Having both dedicated EVs and electric models built on modified combustion car underpinnings drew criticism because the latter meant the vehicles were inevitable compromises. The i4, i5, i7, iX1, and iX2 on sale today are all electric versions of combustion models, and they are not class-leading in any regard. The shared platform quickly shows its limitations, yet they were still good enough to tempt buyers.
The i4, the electric version of the 4 Series Gran Coupe, has been the company’s best-selling electric vehicle (even the best-selling M model) for the past few years. But that will all change once BMW starts rolling out its Neue Klasse SUV and sedan, the iX3 and i3. These new models are built on a bespoke EV platform and feature class-leading efficiency and range, and they also move the game forward for BMW’s design language.
This actually makes BMW’s announcement that it built 2 million EVs feel more like the start of something new rather than a milestone in itself. Now, with the arrival of the two new Neue Klasse models (which will also be available in China in long-wheelbase form), the popularity of BMW EVs should only go up. If they deliver on their promise, BMW’s next million EVs should come a lot faster.
