BMW has received 100,000 orders for iX3 in Europe alone

A year after the premiere of the new BMW iX3, 100,000 customers in Europe alone have ordered the vehicle, the company has announced.

BMW said this is the best first-year start any of its models have ever experienced. 

There is also strong interest in the electric car in other markets such as China, where the iX3 has recently become available to order, the company said. The Munich-based carmaker has not given specific figures for China, however.

"100,000 orders within a year is a great start for the New Class, whose roll-out is continuing to gain speed," said sales director Jochen Goller. "This gives us additional momentum for the future of electric mobility." 

BMW aims to bring a total of 40 new and revised models featuring New Class technologies to market by the end of 2027. Orders for the i3 - the second model after the iX3 - are set to open at the end of the month.

BMW uses the term "New Class" to describe a new generation of models incorporating a range of new technologies. While the iX3 and i3 are initially electric cars, the technologies are also intended for use in combustion-engine vehicles.

Since the iX3 was unveiled, it has accounted for around one third of electric car orders in Europe. Within the X3 family, electric cars currently account for around half of all orders - significantly above the brand average.

BMW delivered just under 2.17 million vehicles of its core brand worldwide last year. 336,000 of these were pure electric cars, underscoring the significance of the 100,000 iX3 orders placed in Europe alone.

Volkswagen recently also cited order figures for a new electric car, the ID. Polo, for which it has received 30,000 orders. That model has only been available to order since April, however.