BMW's M Models Are Having A Record Sales Year

BMW's M Models Are Having A Record Sales Year originally appeared on Autoblog.

And two wagons are driving much of this sales success

The BMW Group just released its earnings report for the first half of 2025, and unlike Audi, the luxury automaker is on track to meet its targets for the year. That’s significant in a year where US tariff duties have wrecked havoc for European automakers.

A large contributor to BMW’s resilient start to the year has been the performance of its high-performance M brand. Globally, nearly 106,000 M models have been sold in the first six months, the highest first-half sales ever for the performance division.

BMW Has Changed A Lot, But Its M Models Are As Popular As Ever

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Go back 25 years or so, and BMW’s lineup couldn’t be more different from what it is today. Back then, the only BMW SUV was the X5, turbocharged and electrified BMWs weren’t a thing, and most of its models still had clean, timeless designs.

All that has changed, but what hasn’t is the enduring appeal of BMW’s M models. Compared to the first half of 2024, BMW M model sales have increased by 6.5% this year to achieve a new record. The brand said that models like the M3, M3 Touring (not sold in the USA), M5, and M5 Touring contributed significantly to 2025 sales.

The continued success of the M5 wasn’t guaranteed, since the new one marked a massive change from older models. It’s now a plug-in hybrid monster that weighs as much as a large SUV, yet it still commands respect. It’s also pleasing to see a revival of performance wagons at BMW M, while key ingredients like a manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, and an inline six-cylinder engine remain present in the M3.

BMW M Outselling Mercedes-AMG Globally

According to Mercedes-Benz’s interim report, the manufacturer sold 68,202 AMG models for the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 7%, but not enough to match BMW M. BMW as a whole is also outselling Mercedes in 2025, when taking into account all cars and non-performance models in the United States.

Other than M models, BMW electrified models grew at the same rate (+6.5%) in the first half. Of all BMW sales over this period, more than a quarter are electrified models, including both plug-in hybrids and fully electric models.

"Our performance in the first half of 2025 once again underscores the robustness of our business model,” said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of BMW AG. “Our success today, as well as in the future, is based on three strong pillars: our global footprint, our strength in innovation, and our technology-neutral approach with highly attractive products.”

With BMW planning to keep its powerful straight-sixes and V8s around, as well as the imminent arrival of the brand’s Neue Klasse models, the brand is doing what it can to please loyalists while also transitioning into a new era of design.

BMW's M Models Are Having A Record Sales Year first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 31, 2025

This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.