If you regularly check BMW’s sales charts, you’re aware that the numbers aren’t broken down for each car. Frustrating, I know. However, we know that of the 206,582 vehicles sold by M in 2024, the i4 M50 was the most popular. It’s actually the third consecutive year that the sporty electric 4 Series Gran Coupe has topped the charts.
I know what you’re going to say – the i4 M50 isn’t a real M car. Indeed, it’s a lesser M Performance model, but BMW has been bundling the two M flavors for a while. Hence why the Bavarian brand is happy to report sales of BMW M have been growing for no fewer than 13 consecutive years. That’s right – 13! With an abundance of M Lite cars, it’s no wonder that the “world’s most powerful letter” is breaking record after record.
What lies ahead? For 2025, BMW M is planning “various special models and model revisions with innovations for combustion engines, plug-in hybrids, and electric drives alike.” But it’s the next sentence that really caught our attention: “The development of the new all-electric BMW M3 is progressing.” There you have it, written in black and white, an M3 without a combustion engine is coming. It’s a reiteration of what some of the higher-ups have said. However, we won’t see it this year. The Neue Klasse-based electric M3 (“ZA0”) is likely due in 2027.
In the meantime, the i4 M50 could be renamed in the coming months. We’re hearing BMW will adopt the i4 M60 moniker to reflect a powertrain upgrade. The M Performance i4 is expected to inherit the dual-motor setup from the larger i5 M60. The change is likely to take place with the cars manufactured from July 2025.
With styling tweaks brought by last year’s Life Cycle Impulse and a more potent powertrain, the i4 M60 could continue to top BMW M’s sales charts.
Source: BMW
