Press releases, Zoom meetings and emails are the modern way to communicate BUT if you are a luxury brand like BMW and have something cool to boast about – you invite us to lunch at the Park Hyatt.
Number 1 in the Premium segment and a massive 50% sales jump in December were just two of the opening gambits announced by Karol Abrasowicz-Madej, Managing Director at BMW Group New Zealand, and he plenty more to tell us.
BMW Group New Zealand has rounded out a successful 2020 by outperforming the industry across its brands despite the widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to latest figures published by the New Zealand Motor Industry Association, BMW and MINI registered a cumulative total of 2,255 units in 2020, tracking 6.6% lower than 2019 figures but ahead of the 22.5% drop experienced by the industry as a whole and the -13.5% shrink in premium segment registrations.
The result is topped off by a staggering performance by BMW in December, as registrations jumped 50.6% higher compared to the same period in 2019.
“2020 has been an extraordinary year for all of us, but we adapted to the times,” commented Karol Abrasowicz-Madej. “Our team pivoted our campaigns to boost the spirits of New Zealanders even as we entered lockdown, and further extended our offers to give customers more value.”
“In addition, we had several new product launches that bolstered our range, and together with the hard work of our team and our valued network of dealerships, we achieved this amazing result,” continued Mr. Abrasowicz-Madej.
Highlights across the BMW model range include the 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe, which registered a +17% figure in registrations for 2020. The handsome and accomplished 3 Series sedan/touring walked away with segment leadership for the year, and the BMW 7 Series surged ahead of the competition to become the best-selling large luxury sedan. Finally, the BMW X7 topped the charts for large-sized luxury SUVs.
True to the BMW Group’s promise to increase focus on electrification, BMW iPerformance registrations performed some 400% better year-on-year in New Zealand, thanks to expanded offerings like the 330e, 530e X5 45e and 745e providing enough range for an emission-free daily commute into and out of Auckland.
On the other end of the spectrum, BMW’s M and M Performance variant sales tracked consistently in 2020, with one in every four BMWs sold in New Zealand carrying high performance credentials from the M division in Garching.
MINI also outperformed the industry and segment in New Zealand, relative to the overall market shrink. The MINI Hatch, Convertible and Clubman all enjoyed growth in their respective segments to achieve their best-ever market share.
With its charming good looks, ‘supercharged’ go-kart handling and an environmentally-sensitive powertrain, the critically-acclaimed MINI Electric Hatch was without doubt the star of the year for MINI in New Zealand. Demand was so high that the entire 2020 ‘First Edition’ allocation was sold out prior to the car arriving in country!
A future variant of the MINI Electric Hatch will be announced for New Zealand later in 2021.
“We are grateful to the MINI team and our dealer network, navigating the many uncertainties in 2020 to produce a solid result,” commented Brett Waudby, General Manager of MINI Australia and New Zealand. “Even more impressive is our 20% electrified sales mix in 2020, making MINI New Zealand a market with one of the highest electrified sales shares in the world – a statistic we are looking to substantially increase this in the coming years.”
Customer centricity at the heart of BMW Group
BMW Group supported its successful product line-up with a range of new initiatives designed to elevate the customers’ experience.
These were led by a new online sales functionality, which began with the MINI Electric Hatch ordering facility, and continues more recently with the launch of the all-new BMW Store.
The latter, which is accessed via https://onlinestore.bmw.co.nz/, provides a fast and efficient way to secure a new vehicle.
The BMW Store allows interested customers to reserve a vehicle in just four steps: model selection, paint choice, trim choice, and the preferred dealer. A fully-refundable deposit is paid at the end of a process that takes just moments, and the entire process of purchasing a car can be reduced to just a few days.
It also includes a stock locator and online exclusives, such as the ability to place a reservation for the X2 Mesh Edition, the all-electric iX3 and the first-ever BMW iX that arrives in New Zealand in the latter half of 2021.
