Automotive company BMW Group achieved a “very strong” performance in the South African market last year, with the brand growing by 12% year-on-year; and leading the premium segment at 46.15%, “comfortably” outselling its two closest competitors combined.

This was highlighted by BMW Group South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen, speaking at the company’s start-of-year media engagement, in Midrand, on January 28.

This 12% growth put BMW South Africa in the top five growth markets in the world year-on-year, he pointed out.

Moreover, BMW South Africa was the fastest growing market for BMW M brand globally, Van Binsbergen indicated.

The Mini brand grew by 4%, which he lauded as strong growth in the competitive sub segment in which it competes.

Van Binsbergen highlighted that Mini’s battery electric vehicle (BEV) offering grew by over 50%, which enabled it to take second place in the BEV segment, despite being a relatively small brand.

The BMW Motorrad also performed well last year, growing 7% in a tough economic climate.

“The Motorrad brand does exceptionally well here in South Africa as a lifestyle product, and as a product, it is definitely the first choice for many customers who enjoy riding on two wheels,” Van Binsbergen averred.

“The entire BMW Group portfolio had a really strong year here in South Africa and we’re very grateful to South African consumers for their passion for our brands and our products, and our strong dealer network that represents us at the customer interface,” he commented.

Van Binsbergen attributed this strong performance to, among others, the group’s strong product offering. This was underpinned by the BMW X3, which was named the 2025 South Africa Car of the Year, and was the group’s best-selling product in the country. Both plug-in hybrid and internal combustion engine variants are manufactured locally at the BMW Group plant, in Rosslyn.

Moreover, following customer feedback, the group recently launched a rugged edition for the X3 range; and also announced the introduction of the BMW X3 20 Pure Design, the new entry point to the local BMW X3 line-up.

Van Binsbergen also highlighted the upcoming launch of the iX3 electric vehicle from the Neue Klasse range, slated to reach the South Africa market in the second half of the year.

The group is bullish about this vehicle’s launch in the country, as it is expected to increase the group’s BEV volumes in the country, and presents a “new mobility platform from the BMW Group which focuses on design, electrification and digitisation. . .”

Meanwhile, Mini will focus on launching particular editions, with several anticipated in the John Cooper Works range.  

In Motorrad, the GS450 will be introduced, expected to engender greater accessibility, being a lighter, smaller vehicle that is more affordable, Van Binsbergen explained.  

“We’re really excited about the year ahead. We’ve got great products already on offer, we’ve got great products coming, and we have a great value proposition that we offer the South African market.”

BMW Group Rosslyn plant director Danny Bester highlighted that the plant produced over 79 000 units in 2025, its highest volume in 52 years.

He said this showed that the country can produce “world class” quality and be competitive. 

The speakers also touched on comments from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition this week that Chinese and Indian vehicle brands may face higher import tariffs to protect local manufacturing. 

They mentioned that the industry was looking for fine-tuning of all the levers within the Automotive Production and Development Programme, rather than high figures that would be a “shock” to the system, with unintended consequences, especially affordability for the entry-level consumer.