Nearly 30% Of BMWs Sold In Europe This Year Are Electric

With gas prices in Europe at historic levels, it’s no wonder people are making the switch to EVs more than ever before. According to data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), EVs accounted for 22.2% of all cars sold in the first six months of the year. The figures cover all 27 EU member states, along with the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. While that doesn’t include the entire European continent, the analysis is still relevant to the region as a whole.

BMW is also banking on the upward EV trend, helped, of course, by its first Neue Klasse model in the modern era. The iX3 “will soon” reach 100,000 orders, and the company has already built more than 50,000 units since production started less than a year ago at its all-new Debrecen plant in Hungary. Combined with the “high demand” for the i3, which went into production earlier this month in Munich, the two Neue Klasse models are helping EVs reach a record share of BMW’s sales in Europe.

Through the first six months of the year, approximately 28% of all cars sold by BMW were purely electric. Of course, the success doesn’t hinge exclusively on the iX3 and i3, as the company already sells a myriad of EVs based on older platforms. From the small iX1 to the large i7, there are plenty of models without a combustion engine.

New And Updated BMW Models Fueling EV Demand

The iX3 and i3 aren’t the only newcomers to the sprawling EV lineup. The iX5 recently joined the portfolio, and it’ll be followed in the weeks to come by another first-ever BMW, the iX4. Come 2027, the zero-emission portfolio will grow with the recently spotted i3 Touring and a full-size SUV: the iX7. Looking further ahead, the rest of the decade should be just as busy, with the iX6 rumored to arrive in 2028, followed shortly by the i1 hatchback and i2 sedan. Sorry, Gran Coupe.

Aside from additions to the “i” lineup, BMW will also update its existing models. The iX1 is reportedly skipping the mid-cycle facelift and heading straight to the next generation. Coming next year, the compact crossover could be an entirely different EV by adopting a rear-wheel-drive layout and cylindrical batteries. Spy shots have already revealed a Neue Klasse-inspired exterior makeover and a reworked interior built around the nearly buttonless iDrive X.

For a plot twist, BMW could do things differently with the iX2, which is reportedly getting a Life Cycle Impulse in 2027. While it will have Neue Klasse cues inside and out, the current underpinnings may not change. Instead, the coupe-styled crossover may carry on with the UKL2 architecture, meaning it might not benefit from the sixth-generation batteries and electric motors. However, nothing is official until Munich says so.

Also coming in 2027 is the updated i5, and we’ve heard it’ll benefit from the Rimac partnership, echoing the i7 facelift. However, we’re not so sure it’s getting cylindrical cells like the larger electric sedan. Even if it continues with prismatic cells, though, there should still be significant range improvements. Those gains may not come from a larger battery pack but rather from higher energy density, with BMW drawing on the Croatian company’s battery expertise.

Neue Klasse Product Offensive Is Just Starting

Taken together, BMW’s EV push is clearly about more than just launching a few new models. The Neue Klasse is ushering in a new generation of technology, while existing EVs will continue to evolve and new nameplates will expand the lineup across different segments. With demand for electric cars continuing to grow in Europe, BMW is betting that a broader range of increasingly capable EVs will help it maintain momentum well beyond the iX3 and i3.

We believe the EV take rate will jump considerably once the cheaper, more volume-oriented i1 and i2 compact cars arrive toward the end of the decade.