Luxury cars: BMW outsells Mercedes-Benz for second year in a row

For the second year in a row, BMW AG (BMW) sold more cars than its rival Mercedes-Benz AG by better navigating global auto supply-chain issues.

Although BMW-branded vehicle deliveries fell 5% to 2.1 million last year, this performance edged out Mercedes, whose shipments fell 1% to 2.04 million.

While both brands increased sales in the final months of 2022, they were unable to make up for business lost in the first half due to parts shortages and the war in Ukraine that reduced manufacturing pace.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen AG (VOWAudi )’s – which shipped 1.61 million cars globally last year – all saw a drop in sales in China as Covid lockdowns kept customers away from showrooms.

Electric vehicle deliveries were a bright spot for German firms as they rolled out new battery-powered models and sought to comply with tightening emissions regulations.

BMW’s sales of EVs such as the it saloon more than doubled to 215,755 vehicles. Mercedes also reported that EV sales had more than doubled to 117,800 units, with fully electric and plug-in hybrid models accounting for 15% of total shipments.

Similarly, Audi’s EV deliveries in 2022 increased by 44%.

“We will stay on track for profitable growth in 2023,” Pieter Notas, BMW sales chief said in a statement. “The clear emphasis will be on increasing electromobility.”