GENERAL NEWS
BMW Group highlights growth in BEV sales
With 179,557 fully electric vehicles delivered , the BMW brand recorded a + 34.1 % increase in BEV ( battery electric vehicles ) sales in the first half of 2024 , compared to the previous year . Overall , the BMW brand grew by 2.3 % compared to the previous year ’ s period with 1,096,486 units sold in the first half of the year . The brand managed to significantly gain market share in Europe . In total , the BMW Group delivered 1,213,359 vehicles of its BMW , MINI and Rolls-Royce brands in the first half of the year .
“ In the first six months of the year , we saw double-digit growth of our fully electric vehicles and models from the upper premium segment ,” said Jochen Goller , member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Customer , Brands , Sales .
For the BMW brand , models from the upper premium segment are becoming increasingly popular , in addition to fully electric models . The BMW 7 Series recorded sales growth of + 22 % in the first half of the year , compared to the same period last year . The BMW X1 and BMW 3 Series models also
The BMW i5 M60 .
saw strong growth compared to the previous year .
BMW M GmbH also performed well and unveiled its first M5 high-performance sedan with electrified drive train in June . With a total of 99,517 vehicles sold , BMW M recorded sales growth of 5.1 %.
With the continuing model changeover of its complete product portfolio , the MINI brand delivered 114,054 vehicles in the first half-year . This includes the first MINI Cooper cars from the New MINI Family . The further ramp-up of the MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman , as well as the market launch of the MINI Aceman , are set for the second half of the year .
“ A highlight for the Rolls-Royce brand was the launch of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II . In the first half-year , the Rolls-Royce brand delivered 2,819 cars to customers worldwide . BMW Motorrad handed over 113,072 motorcycles and scooters to customers worldwide over the same period ,” added the BMW Group .
With its four brands BMW , MINI , Rolls- Royce and BMW Motorrad , the BMW Group is a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides financial and mobility services . The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide ; the company has a global sales network in over 140 countries . In 2023 , the BMW Group sold over 2.55 million passenger vehicles and over 209,000 motorcycles worldwide . The profit before tax in the financial year 2023 was € 17.1 billion on revenues amounting to € 155.5 billion . As of 31 December 2023 , the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,950 employees . n
www . bmwgroup . com
Lorch and DAIHEN complete their merger
Welding specialist Lorch Schweißtechnik will address the future under new management , following the successful merger of Lorch with DAIHEN .
“ It ’ s the perfect combination that we were hoping for ,” said Wolfgang Grüb , former managing partner of Lorch Schweißtechnik , after Japanese DAIHEN Group joined the company . Joint projects including implementation of a new compact welding cell and the strengthening of its systems business with DAIHEN subsidiary , Femitec , have already been implemented .
The official handover to the new managing directors ( Jens Gauder and Norihito Takahashi ), who has been on board at management level since January , was planned for the Lorch summer party on 12 July 2024 . Wolfgang Grüb , the company ’ s manager of more than four decades , will remain associated with the company in an advisory capacity .
Wolfgang Grüb is very positive about the nine months that have passed since DAIHEN first joined Lorch Schweißtechnik . Initial results include the first joint automated compact welding cell with a DAIHEN robot cell and Lorch power source and the expansion of
A new management team as part of the change of managing director .
specific customer solutions in the cobot sector . In cooperation with Femitec , the product range will be significantly expanded to include customised system integration solutions in future . Lorch and DAIHEN will also benefit from each other ’ s technical expertise in the development of new welding systems and welding processes .
Norihito Takahasi , who took over as managing director of Lorch Schweißtechnik GmbH on 15 January 2024 , emphasised : “ We are more than happy with our cooperation to date . We are highly confident in Lorch welding technology as a brand .” The first joint results
in development , production and sales were achieved quickly and there are aims to further expand the position of both companies in Asia and Europe .
Jens Gauder , who has been with the company since 2017 and most recently worked as sales director at Lorch , will steer the company ’ s fortunes with Norihito Takahashi in the future .
“ The merger with DAIHEN is opening many new organisational opportunities for Lorch . We must figure out exactly what the market truly needs and what is going to best help our customers in welding technology . The severe shortage of skilled labour means that automation i . e . the development of welding systems that can weld even more productively while being easy to operate , will be a key focus . The additional expertise of our parent company in industrial robotics and our status as European market leader in cobot welding also offer enormous potential for serving our existing customer groups and accessing new ones ,” he concluded . n
www . lorch . eu / en
8 | ismr . net | ISMR September 2024