BMW M GmbH sold 206,582 vehicles in 2024, the first time the division has sold more than 200,000 cars and the 13th consecutive year of growth. It was 2.1 per cent more than 2023, almost as much as Mini’s total sales (244,915), and a useful 9.4 per cent of BMW Group’s total figure of 2,450,804 (which was down four per cent on ‘23). So if you’re ever questioning why another hybrid has another M variant, it’s because they just keep on selling.
As for last year and 2022, the i4 M50 was the biggest-selling M car globally. BMW’s overall EV sales were up overall, in fact; 11.6 per cent more than 2023 at 368,523. Perhaps more interesting, however, was the response to those M cars with engines updated in recent months. M3 Touring sales were up 57 per cent with its new look, and the 480hp M2 was up by 64 per cent - the biggest increase of the year. Both encouraging, if perhaps helped by a lull as production switched over. Even the XM found more buyers over the last 12 months, though a 16 per cent uplift of surely not many still won’t be very much. BMW says that its ‘high-performance M models’ accounted for 66,805 units, or plus eight per cent on ‘23, without specifying exactly what a high-performance model is. We’ll assume it’s the ‘proper’ M cars, above M Performance 35is, 40is and the like.
The appetite for engines extends to other makers as well, with Porsche delivering 50,941 911s in 2024 - two per cent more than the year before, and a record for the flat-six sports car. The old ICE Macan soldiers on outside the EU as well, selling 64,517 cars to make total Macan numbers alongside the EV 82,795. The 718 range notched up an impressive 23,670 units as well, which was up 15 per cent, despite a good few years on sale now. Which may or may not have something to do with the electric replacement looming.
Speaking of which, incredibly (or some might argue, predictably) the 718 figure is more than the Taycan, which slumped to 20,836 examples - or 49 per cent less than in 2023. Porsche attributes it to the mid-life update and the fact that ‘the ramp-up of electric mobility is generally proceeding more slowly than planned’. The Panamera was down 13 per cent to 29,587, mostly explained by reduced demand in China. Which was down 28 per cent overall, a trend reflected elsewhere and attributed to the 'challenging economic situation in this region'.
So it’s hard to know what to predict for sales 2025, apart from plenty more i4 M50s and Porsche Macans it seems. BMW says that its M cars will benefit from ‘special models’ and ‘innovations’ for purely combustion models, PHEVs and electric cars. The electric M3 isn’t far away, either. As for Porsche, board member for Sales and Marketing Detlev von Platen said: “With the youngest product range in the company's history, our offering is highly attractive to our customers. At the same time, of course, we do expect that the economic and geopolitical conditions will challenge us more than ever in 2025. Nevertheless, our goal is to further strengthen our brand globally and to exploit market potential. We will do this in line with demand in the individual regions in order to remain true to our principle of value-based sales in the future.”
There are 1,200 BMWs and Porsche on PH from 2024, which feels like quite a lot (to the uninitiated) of basically new cars mostly at main dealers. Still, plenty of choice for those in the market. There’s an actual Taycan Turbo GT in Scotland, complete with Dairy Milk paint, and a stunning Ruby Star Spyder RS in Wales. Green and gold seems to suit the new Macan well, and this Carrera T 911 really harks back to the old days. On the BMW front, this XM comes with a towbar for those who really want to cause a stir at the caravan club, and an M3 CS with more than £20k off looks great. Finally, if now’s the time to see what the i4 M50 fuss is all about, this one sneaks in under £50,000.
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