The numbers game in the luxury passenger vehicle segment is hotting up as BMW India closes the gap with Mercedes Benz.

In 2023, the Bavarian company reported its highest-ever sales of 14,172 cars, including the BMW and Mini brands. BMW sold 13,303 units and Mini 869 units. The two brands posted 18 per cent growth over the 2022 sales of 11,981 units. The motorcycle arm, BMW Motorrad, clocked sales of 8,768 units.

Mercedes retained its top position for the ninth consecutive year with sales of 17,408 units, with Audi third, at 7,931 units.

BMW was the leader in EVs, with sales of 1,474 units, while Mercedes sold around 700 units.

All three German luxury players posted double-digit growth, with Audi posting 89 per cent growth on a low base.

They also reported the highest sales in their core luxury vehicles — the E-Class Long Wheel Base for Mercedes; the 3 Series for BMW; and the Q3 and the Q3 Sportback for the Audi.

All three marquees have seen strong demand for their top-end products.

The average selling price of a Merc in the last four years has risen to Rs 88 lakh from Rs 57 lakh. For BMW, the average selling price is Rs 75.80 lakh.

The three German companies had a total market of 38,642 vehicles in 2023. Merc had a 45 per cent share of the market, BMW 34.4 per cent (excluding the Mini) and Audi 20.5 per cent.

Vikram Pawah, president, BMW Group India, said: “2023 has been a record-breaking milestone year for BMW Group India. We continue to set the pace in the Indian electric luxury vehicle market with the most diverse and innovative product range, designed to cater to diverse customer needs. A perfect example is the BMW iX which is the highest-selling luxury electric vehicle in India."

In electric vehicles, BMW posted the highest sales among luxury players for the second year in a row.

The BMW iX remains the largest-selling luxury electric vehicle in India. The company offers five vehicles in the segment the BMW i7, BMW iX, BMW i4, BMW iX1 and MINI SE.

The launch of the first-ever BMW i7 and first-ever BMW iX1 added to the sales momentum. MINI 3 Door Cooper SE is the highest-selling premium electric hatchback in the country.

BMW witnessed an 88 per cent growth in what it calls the luxury class which comprises the 7 Series, the i7, the X7 and the XM.

The sports activity vehicle (SAV) segment, which constitutes the X badge of vehicles, contributed 54 per cent to the sales growing 24 per cent.

Among the SAVs, the entry vehicle X1 contributed 20 per cent of overall sales making it the best-selling SAV for the company. The X7 was the second-highest seller.

The 3 Series was the highest-selling sedan with a share of 20 per cent in sales.

In the Mini brand, the locally assembled Mini Countryman contributed 55 per cent to the sales.

Sales of the electric Mini 3-Door Cooper SE more than doubled, becoming the second-highest selling Mini model contributing 28 per cent to the sales.

The BMW G 310 bikes registered a growth of 19 per cent and maintained a share of 88 per cent in overall sales.