With the first three months of the year in its rearview mirror, BMW is looking back at how it performed in Q1 2024. Sales increased by 2.5% compared to the similar period of 2023, reaching 531,039 units worldwide. Of those, 78,691 were purely electric, or 40.6% more than in January-March last year.
The “world’s most powerful letter” also had a good start to the year. Shipments grew by 3.6% to 48,110 vehicles. To be fair, BMW M GmbH also factors in M Performance models. In fact, the i4 M50 was its best-selling product in 2022 and 2023. So far this year, demand is driven by the M2, M3 Sedan/Touring, and even the XM, or so we’re told. The company claims newly launched models such as the i7 M70, M760e, i5 M60, and the X1 M35i are also well-received by customers.
The rest of the year is looking busy for BMW M since there are multiple new products on the way. The M4 CS is premiering in May. It’ll be followed by already confirmed updates for the M2, M3, and the regular M4. In addition, the much-awaited M5 Sedan/Touring duo is locked in for a 2024 reveal. Before the year ends, we might also see the M Performance versions of the next-generation 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe.
Another not-quite-M car arriving this year should be the X3 M50 as a successor to the outgoing M40i model. Rumor has it the M Performance version of the next-gen X3 (G45) is getting slightly more power. The inline-six, 3.0-liter “B58” could be massaged to deliver 392 hp, which would represent an extra 10 ponies. There’s no word about torque but the current M Lite X3 has 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of twist.
Lest we forget about the new X2 M35i that had its market launch last month. There’s also the i5 M60 Touring scheduled to arrive in Europe and Japan next month. Other regions of the world will get the high-performance electric wagon from June.
Overall, 2024 is shaping up to be yet another strong year for BMW and its sporty M branch. Including MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group estimates it’ll sell even more cars after a record-breaking 2023.
Source: BMW
