BMW Group grows in Europe and the US as global sales slip 4.9% through September
The BMW Group delivered 1,707,799 vehicles in the first nine months of 2026, a 4.9% global decline even as Europe rose 4.5% and the US 3.4%, with business in China still challenging.
- 1,707,799 (-4.9%)
- 110,257 (+7.2%)
- 34.7%
- More than 100,000
What Happened
The BMW Group increased its sales in Europe and the US in the first nine months of 2026, although business in China remained challenging. Deliveries rose by around 4.5% in Europe and 3.4% in the US. Worldwide, the group delivered more than 1.7 million vehicles to customers between January and the end of September, a slight decline of 4.9%. In the third quarter alone, BMW Group Automotive delivered 551,072 vehicles, down 6.3% year on year.
“In difficult market conditions, we were able to hold our own in Europe and the US. The continued strength in new orders for our fully electric vehicles, in particular, confirms our course. The BMW iX3 is providing positive impetus for growth in the market, and we are also seeing strong customer interest in the new BMW 3 Series and BMW X5. The product momentum generated by our Neue Klasse models and Neue Klasse technologies strengthens our position for the challenges ahead.”
110,257vehicles
Up 7.2% year on year worldwide, with 81,941 of them delivered in Europe.
- 732,279 (+4.5%)
- 307,402 (+3.4%)
- 376,128 (-21.8%)
- BMW: 1,483,960 vehicles (-6.4%)
- BMW M GmbH: 148,510 vehicles (-6.1%)
- MINI: 220,247 vehicles (+6.8%)
- Rolls-Royce: 3,592 vehicles (-12.4%)
- BMW Motorrad: 149,452 motorcycles and scooters (-6.1%)
- BMW Group electrified (BEVs and PHEVs): 446,202 vehicles (-5.1%)
The BMW brand delivered around 1.5 million vehicles in the first nine months, a decline of 6.4%, but grew 1.4% in Europe and 4.3% in the US, where higher sales of BMW X models lifted it in an overall declining market. In China, the BMW brand's sales decline of 21.2% reflects the performance of the automotive market as a whole. Electrification is advancing fastest in Europe: in the third quarter, one in three BMW Group vehicles delivered there was fully electric, a 34.7% share, with BEV sales up 37.5% to 81,941 units and German BEV growth of 38.5%. The new BMW iX3 has taken more than 100,000 new orders in Europe within just one year, which BMW calls the most successful market launch of a BMW Group model to date. The rollout of the China version of the new BMW iX3 will get underway there in November.
MINI sold a total of 220,247 vehicles since the start of the year, increasing its deliveries by 6.8%. Of those, 37.2% were fully electric. The positive trend was partly driven by the John Cooper Works models and the MINI Paul Smith Edition, and further impetus is expected from the new MINI Countryman Untamed Edition.
Why this matters
The results show BMW's worldwide volume shrinking while its two established Western markets grow, with China's weakness doing most of the damage. Buyers and competitors can also read the shift in the electric mix: in the third quarter, one in three BMW Group vehicles delivered in Europe was fully electric.
Terms in This Story
- BEV
- Battery electric vehicle: a car powered solely by a battery and electric motor, with no combustion engine.
- PHEV
- Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: a car with both a battery-electric drive and a combustion engine that can be charged from an external power source.
- Fourth Pillar sales region
- BMW Group's grouping of Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa in its regional sales reporting.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.