BMW EV volume expected to triple in '23

BMW dealers have an expanding portfolio of electric vehicles to look forward to in 2023 and should see significant volume increases as a result.

Shaun Bugbee, BMW of North America's executive vice president of operations, noted the arrival of the i4 sporty four-door, the iX midsize crossover and i7 large sedan in 2022.

Another i4 variant, the i4 eDrive35, and the i5, an electric version of the 5 Series midsize sedan, are set to launch in 2023.

"We'll have a full year of some of our [EV] products and then bring some new products on," Bugbee told Automotive News after the brand's make meeting Saturday. "We'll be in a position where we'll triple our volume in 2023 for full BEVs."

BMW this month said it sold 15,584 EVs in the U.S. in 2022, which represented 4.7 percent of its total U.S. sales.

BMW National Dealer Forum Chairman David Sloane described the meeting's tone as positive.

“EVs are growing,” said Sloane, president of Sloane Automotive Group in suburban Philadelphia. “The number that they’re sharing is close to 20 percent of the [2023] sales will be EVs and close to 20 percent of the sales will be M [performance] brand cars. So kind of bookends on our product lineup. It’ll be interesting if the demand is there for EVs. But the i4 is priced well. The i7 has been received well.”

Sloane added that the i4 eDrive35 will be the entry point for the i4 nameplate.

Bugbee said there are markets for BMW's EVs throughout the U.S.

"This is not just an East Coast, West Coast phenomenon," Bugbee said. "This is something that's here to stay across the entire market. That's our mentality. We want all 350 dealers to be focused on that."