The BMW i3 surpassed the goals put forward for it by BMW for the first half of 2014, according to a recent statement from the high-end car manufacturer. In total, more than 5,000 of the designed-for-use-in-the-city EVs have been sold so far this year.
Of the total 5,396 vehicles sold, 1,241 were sold in June — with a substantial amount of those sales occurring in the European markets. The i3 was actually the top-selling plug-in vehicle during the first quarter of 2014 in Germany.
Image Credit: BMW
Sales have yet to pick up in the American market, but as the model only launched there in May — as opposed to back in November for the European market — perhaps sales will pick up notably over the coming months. Only 336 units sold in the US in May, and 358 in June.
The expectation is that the American market will eventually become the largest market for the i3, as per the BMW’s production chief (Harald Krueger). The company is aiming to manufacture around 20,000 units of the PHEV this year.
In addition to the success of the i3, BMW has been doing very well in general — which bodes well for the continued growth of the company’s EV division — as Car News Cafe notes:
Not only is BMW eager to remind you it is doing well, but that it also sold more than a million vehicles in the first half of 2014 for the first time ever. To be a little clearer, this includes the many brands under the company, such as MINI, Rolls-Royce and of course the amazing BMW Motorcycles.
The overall picture saw an increase of 6.9% over the same period last year to 954,501 cars. Sales in June reached an all-time high of a 4.8% delivery increase with a total of 193,342 vehicles sold that month.
With the general continued success of the company, it will be interesting to see what direction BMW takes with regard to further expansion into the EV market.
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