The BMW That Everyone Dislikes Was M's Top-Selling Model | Carscoops

      BMW M achieved another year of growth in 2025, despite facing challenges towards the end of the year. M vehicles now represent a notable portion of BMW’s total sales, with North America being the strongest market for these models.

      The M division of BMW is seemingly unstoppable, setting new records even amid design controversies. Buyers appear to prioritize performance over online criticism. With 2025 marking the 14th consecutive year of record sales, the M badge continues to be a major asset for the brand.

      In total, BMW M sold 213,457 vehicles in 2025, reflecting a 3.3 percent increase compared to the previous year. Although the company has not provided a complete breakdown by model, it confirmed that around 71,500 of these were pure M cars, such as the M2, M3, M4, and M5, while the remaining 141,957 consisted of M Performance models like the M340i and the i4 M60.

      Among the high-performance M models, the M2 was the best-selling vehicle. However, across the entire BMW M GmbH lineup, the X3 M50 took the overall top spot, surpassing the electric i4 M50, which had been the leader in 2024.

      The X3 M50’s success comes despite ongoing criticism regarding its design and BMW’s perceived compromises on interior materials, which seems perplexing for an SUV starting at $66,500 in the U.S. Nevertheless, sales figures indicate that consumers who make purchases are not reflecting the same negative sentiments expressed online.

      It is important to note that BMW M did encounter a setback towards the end of the year, with sales declining by 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025.

      Despite this dip, M models represented 9.8 percent of BMW's global sales last year, with the United States leading, having sold over 72,000 M vehicles, making it the largest market for the division. Other strong performers included Canada, Germany, South Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and China. Notably, Switzerland, despite its smaller size, saw M vehicles constituting nearly one in four BMWs sold, indicating a significant concentration.

      "Our 14th consecutive sales record validates our strategy," said BMW M chief executive Franciscus van Meel. "We will continue to provide performance and high-performance vehicles across the entire BMW model range, incorporating fully electric, partly electric, and all-ICE powertrains."

      Regarding total sales for the BMW brand, the company sold 2,463,715 vehicles in 2025, indicating a modest 0.5 percent increase from 2024. Sales of electrified models, including plug-in hybrids and EVs, rose to 642,087 units, marking an 8.3 percent increase. Fully electric BMWs accounted for 442,072 of these, reflecting a 3.6 percent rise compared to the previous year.

      However, the fourth quarter was weaker, with battery-electric vehicle sales decreasing by 10.5 percent, likely due to changing market conditions, especially in the U.S., where federal EV tax incentives were reduced at the end of September.

      Sales across many of BMW’s key markets saw significant growth in 2025. In Germany, sales rose by 8.7 percent, while the overall European market jumped by 7.3 percent. Sales also increased by 5.7 percent in the Americas, including a 5 percent rise in the U.S. In contrast, Asian markets struggled, with total sales dropping by 9.3 percent, and a 12.5 percent decline in China.