BMW records second best annual sales figures ; announces 2020 GS Trophy for Albania
BMW Motorrad has posted the second-best annual sales figures in its history , despite the challenges of a year in which COVID-19 turned the world inside out . Driven by the launch of thirteen new models last year , the company says it was able to deliver over 169,272 motorbikes and scooters to customers in 2020 - its secondbest sales result ever . Dr . Markus Schramm , Head of BMW Motorrad , said : " Following difficult months from March to June , we turned the tide by applying a high degree of pragmatic flexibility and dedicated commitment and , arguably , the best BMW Motorrad product offering ever to produce our second-best sales result ever . " The launch of the BMW R 18 was certainly one of the highlights in 2020 . The longawaited big boxer has been very well received by both the specialist press and by customers worldwide .” With an increase of + 1,224 vehicles sold , German market sales of 27,516 units were a new record , with France also up on 2019 with 17,539 units sold ; elsewhere in Europe sales were slightly down with 13,918 sold in Italy , 11,030 in Spain and 7,539 units in Great Britain / Ireland . Overall volume in Europe declined by -5.3 % as a whole . With 11,788 motorbikes and scooters sold ( previous year : 8,818 units ), BMW Motorrad achieved + 33.7 % growth in China , 10,707 sold in Brazil ( previous year : 10,064 units ), with a growth of + 6.4 % for South American markets overall . With a total of almost 80,000 units sold , the boxer models continue to form the backbone of BMW Motorrad ' s success , further strengthened in 2020 with the launch of the 1800 cc displacement R 18 . BMW says that its singlecylinder BMW G 310 R and BMW G 310 GS models " enjoyed unbroken popularity in 2020 - in order to be fit for the future , both models have undergone an extensive revision . With over 17,000 motorbikes sold worldwide , these two agile allrounders are a permanent fixture in the BMW Motorrad portfolio and contributed to the overall success in 2020 ". BMW claims it " hit the bull ' s eye with the market launch of the new F 900 R and F 900 XR models . With 14,429 models sold , we were able to further expand our strong position in the mid-range segment . Together with the other models such as the BMW F 750 GS , BMW F 850 GS and BMW F 850 GS Adventure , the total share of the two-cylinder series already exceeds 35,000 units ". In other news , the company has announced that its 2022 International GS Trophy will
Albania , " one of the last still largely untouched off-road paradises in Europe ".
Following the Roland Sands dragster special and the R 18 conversion by ' Blechmann ' ( Bernhard Naumann ), this latest BMW custom R 18 in its " SoulFuel " series is " Spirit of Passion ", by Dirk Oehlerking of Kingston Custom , Gelsenkirchen . return to Europe - being staged under the " Explore the unexpected " motto in Albania in late summer 2022 ; the 8th edition of the GS Trophy . Described as " one of the last still largely untouched off-road paradises in Europe ", 22 international teams and six international women ' s teams will be selected in the coming months , with qualification events having already been confirmed for Brazil , China , France , Germany , India , Japan , Latin America , Mexico , Netherlands , Russia , South Africa , South East Asia , South Korea , United Kingdom and USA - the Chinese team 2020 has received a wildcard because it could not participate in New Zealand in 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions in force at the time . In addition to ' Oceania ' in 2020 , previous editions have been staged in 2016 in South East Asia ( Thailand ), 2014 in North America ( Canada ), 2012 in South America ( Chile , Argentina ), 2010 in South Africa ( South Africa , Swaziland , Mozambique ) and 2008 in North Africa ( Tunisia ). In the current edition , 22 teams compete with 60 riders from all over the world . The field of riders is accompanied by the GS Trophy Marshals , media representatives , doctors , sponsors as well as a photo and film crew . The GS Trophy is not a race but a team competition in which an international line-up of off-road enthusiasts compete together in various special stages . Right after the event , BMW Motorrad will once again be offering " Follow the Trails " tours , where customers can follow in the footsteps of the competition on original GS Trophy motorbikes .
24 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - FEBRUARY / MARCH 2021 www . idnmag . com