In 2022, BMW M established a sales record by shipping a total of 177,257 M Performance and M cars to customers worldwide. 2023 is off to a strong start as deliveries in the first three months of the year increased by +18.9% compared to January-March 2022, reaching 46,430 units. As was the case throughout last year, the i4 M50 was rather surprisingly the most popular product in Q1 2023.
BMW M doesn’t list sales figures for each car, but it does mention the M3 Touring was and still is “in very high demand.” One would argue the super wagon’s popularity would’ve been even higher had the company decided to sell the G81 in North America, but that ship has sailed. We’re being told the M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe/Convertible made a “key contribution” to overall sales, with demand for the dynamic duo still growing even though the cars have been around for a while.
The German luxury brand hopes the rest of the year will be just as strong, with demand fueled by new arrivals such as the X5/X6 M60i and their full-fat M counterparts. Of course, the M2 G87 is expected to be the star of BMW M’s lineup in 2023, even though the XM is technically the crown jewel. The former starts at $62,200 while the latter retails from $159,000, so it’s pretty clear which of the two will sell more.
Lest we forget 2023 will also bring us several models carrying the “world’s most powerful letter.” These won’t be fully fledged M models, but rather M Performance derivatives of the i5 and i7. The smaller of the two electric sedans will likely get the M60 suffix while its bigger brother has already been confirmed to carry the M70 moniker.
The next 5 Series is also believed to bring an M560e xDrive with an inline-six, plug-in hybrid setup to indirectly replace the V8-powered M550i. 2023 should also bring the first-ever X1 M35i, so there are enough reasons to believe BMW M might just set a new sales record at the end of the year.
Source: BMW