BMW Sold 20,000 Plug-In Electric Cars In U.S.

BMW i3 sales in U.S. – December 2015

2016 BMW i3 Shadow Sport Edition

BMW plug-in car sales in the U.S. are gaining momentum as three models – the i3, i8 and X5 xDrive40e (X5 PHV) helps to keep EV sales going strong.

Through the end of 2015, the i3 has attracted 17,116 buyers all-time in the US (6,092 in 2014 and 11,024 in its first full year of availability in 2015). The i3 is available in an -electric and also a range-extended version (REx) with gasoline engine backup.

Interesting is that i3 accounts for a high 4.5% of all BMW car sales (excluding light trucks) for 2015.

As for the BMW i8, in the 17 months it has been offered, a total of 2,820 sales have been realized in the US, which is an exceptional result considering the base i8 starts north of $130,000. December's surge to 656 also surprised us quite a bit; 2016 could be a very good year for BMW's plug-in super car.

BMW i8 sales in U.S. – December 2015

In the best months of 2015, the BMW i brand exceeded 9% share of all BMW cars sold in the U.S. (excluding lights trucks).

BMW i3 + i8 sales in U.S. – December 2015

For the last three months, there's been the BMW X5 xDrive40e available and despite its typically European low all-electric range, X5 PHV has already noted 892 sales with a 607 unit surge in December.

BMW X5 PHV sales in U.S. – December 2015

BMW X5 xDrive40e

The X5 is classified as a light truck, so we compared total sales of all three models in relation to all BMW brand sales (cars and light trucks).

December was a peak month with 2,685 plug-in deliveries, good for a 7.8% total share. That's 10 times more than the industry average.

BMW i3 + i8 + X5 PHV sales in U.S. – December 2015

BMW ended the year 2015 with 20,000 plug-ins on the roads in U.S. Most of them are i3s.

2016 looks to be BMW's best by far, as the (apparently) strong selling X5 PHV will be on sale for the full year, joining the i3 and i8.   Additionally, the 330e and 740e will also be added to the lineup halfway through, with the electrified 5 series coming on board sometime thereafter.

BMW i3 + i8 + X5 PHV sales in U.S. – December 2015

BMW i3 + i8 + X5 PHV sales in U.S. – December 2015

BMW i8

Source: BMW Sold 20,000 Plug-In Electric Cars In U.S.