BMW reports another record year for M car sales
Almost one in 10 new BMWs is M badged - next stop a quarter of a million units...
Last year was another record 12 months for BMW’s M cars. In 2025, 213,457 of them were sold, up from 2024’s figure of 206,582. That was a record year as well, as was the year before that, and the year befo… in fact, 2025 was BMW M’s 14th consecutive year of sales growth. So ever since 2012 (and the introduction of the first M135i, which can’t be a coincidence), BMW M sales have increased year on year. It has to slow down at some point - doesn’t it?
That 213,457 figure accounted for 9.8 per cent of BMW’s overall sales, again another unprecedented number. In Switzerland, almost one in four new Beemers is an M car. So it’s not just you - there really are more BMWs around with the tricolour and loadsa power. An interesting change for this year in terms of individual models was the deposing of the i4 M60 as the best-selling M variant, as it was for 2022, 2023 and 2024. For 2025, that accolade went to the new X3 M50, with its ‘unique performance capabilities and a charismatic appearance.’
The M3 was, of course, a popular M car last year, accounting for nearly 71,500 units of the overall total - the most examples of what’s still probably the core M car sold in 12 months. Encouraging for the future of variants like the manual M3 and CS Touring; as BMW puts it, selling so many is ‘a clear sign of the model series’ continued allure’. As for the M2, which shares so many of its vital bits with the M3, it was said to be the ‘best-selling high-performance vehicle of 2025’ according to BMW. We’ll assume that’s the full-fat M cars, rather than M Performance semi-skimmed stuff. Again impressive, given it’s a more expensive M2 than ever.
Speaking of full fat, the controversial M5 PHEV is also said to have enjoyed a successful 2025 in both saloon and Touring forms (though without an exact number published). As well as winning awards, the G90 and G99 saw ‘enormous sales increases’ in their first full year of availability, becoming ‘key growth drivers’ in 2025. Keeping the V8, even if it’s required electrification to do so, looks like a smart decision then. There’s no mention of the i5 M60 or iX M70 in the press release, for example. Or the XM, for that matter, proof that merely having a V8 isn’t enough on its own - people really do seem to have taken to the new M5. Notably the US remains the biggest M market, with over 72,000 units sold, and you can bet an M5 Touring goes down well there. In the UK and some other key markets, BMW says it surpassed competitors ‘by a considerable margin’.
So whether with purely petrol power, plug-in or EV, BMW M is doing alright. More than alright, you might say, which bodes well for the Neue Klasse era - there’ll surely be an iX3 M soon enough, stuff like that. All is not lost, though, for fans of straight-six BMWs. M CEO Franciscus van Meel said: “Our 14th consecutive sales record validates our strategy. We will continue to offer performance and high-performance vehicles across the entire BMW model range. With fully electric, partly electric and all-ICE powertrains.”
So the future might not look so bad after all. And record-breaking sales in 2025 mean a plethora of secondhand examples out there from last year, all with savings over RRP. So whether it’s £20k off an M5 Touring, a purple M3 wagon with gold wheels, or a very fetching M4 CS that you’re after, they’re all on PH. And it sounds like BMW has plenty more where they came from on the way.
Back in, say, 2010 the only M cars were the M3, M5, M6, Z4M. And X5/6M I think, maybe the 1M? Now you also get the (cheaper) M140i, M340i, M550i, etc etc. They aren't proper halo cars like the old ones were. If you stick an M badge on everything they sell and say "we've sold even more M cars" it doesn't really mean much.
Back in, say, 2010 the only M cars were the M3, M5, M6, Z4M. And X5/6M I think, maybe the 1M? Now you also get the (cheaper) M140i, M340i, M550i, etc etc. They aren't proper halo cars like the old ones were. If you stick an M badge on everything they sell and say "we've sold even more M cars" it doesn't really mean much.
Back in, say, 2010 the only M cars were the M3, M5, M6, Z4M. And X5/6M I think, maybe the 1M? Now you also get the (cheaper) M140i, M340i, M550i, etc etc. They aren't proper halo cars like the old ones were. If you stick an M badge on everything they sell and say "we've sold even more M cars" it doesn't really mean much.
. I think Audi and Ford were spot on with their RS and S models and RS and ST models respectively for both brands. As said, pop an M badge on any BMW, and sales numbers will look mighty impressive Back in, say, 2010 the only M cars were the M3, M5, M6, Z4M. And X5/6M I think, maybe the 1M? Now you also get the (cheaper) M140i, M340i, M550i, etc etc. They aren't proper halo cars like the old ones were. If you stick an M badge on everything they sell and say "we've sold even more M cars" it doesn't really mean much.
Back in, say, 2010 the only M cars were the M3, M5, M6, Z4M. And X5/6M I think, maybe the 1M? Now you also get the (cheaper) M140i, M340i, M550i, etc etc. They aren't proper halo cars like the old ones were. If you stick an M badge on everything they sell and say "we've sold even more M cars" it doesn't really mean much.
. I think Audi and Ford were spot on with their RS and S models and RS and ST models respectively for both brands. As said, pop an M badge on any BMW, and sales numbers will look mighty impressive 
. IMHO of course.. IMHO of course.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff