It’s not often we get a look at BMW Group sales figures in South Africa, but they were included in Naamsa’s report for March 2022. Let’s find out which were the best- and worst-performing models for the German firm…

In line with a global directive from its Munich headquarters, BMW Group South Africa seldom reports detailed sales figures to Naamsa. However, the German automaker interestingly did drill down to individual model sales for March 2022.

So, which were its most popular vehicles for the month? And which ones didn’t make much of an impact? Let’s take a closer look at the Bavarian firm’s numbers.

The BMW Group (which in this case includes the BMW and Mini brands but excludes Rolls-Royce and the Motorrad division) registered 1 225 units in South Africa in March 2022, enough to place it 11th on the list of best-selling automakers. Meanwhile, exports totalled a heady 6 852 units, a figure eclipsed only by the Volkswagen Group (9 236 units) during the reporting period.

Somewhat predictably, the Rossyln-built X3 was BMW’s top sales performer in March 2022, with 313 units registered. The 3 Series (165 units) was second, ahead of the third-placed 1 Series (125 units).

The locally built X3 was BMW’s top seller for the month.

Next came the X5 with 116 units (16 of which came courtesy of sales to the government, with a further 18 via the rental channel), while the 2 Series range – which includes the gran coupé models and the freshly launched newrear-driven coupé derivatives – ended the month on 107 units.

The remainder of BMW-badged models settled for double or single figures, led by the X1 (93 units), 4 Series (49 units) and X4 (24 units). Fascinatingly, the X7 (23 units) outsold both the X2 (18 units) and the X6 (13 units), while the 5 Series managed 16 registrations. The 8 Series (11 units) and 7 Series (9 units) were next, while the fully electric iX attracted 6 sales, the Z4 roadster one fewer, and the outgoing i3 just a single registration.

Turning to the Mini division, the Countryman interestingly proved the most popular in March 2022 with 42 sales, slightly ahead of the 3-door Hatch (39 units), though it’s not clear how many of those took the form of the battery-powered Cooper SE. The 5-door Hatch added 25 units, while the Convertible brought up the rear with 5 units.

Further Reading

BMW iX3 Price Announced for 2022

BMW 2-Series Launch Review