German Car Zone

Strong year for BMW's M division



BMW performance motoring is essentially an M3 thing. The Bavarians sold nearly 18 000 M3 derivatives in 2008, which totalled a record year for the M-division.

Utility buyers might be struggling with new car purchases, but performance addicts raised BMW’s M-division sales by nearly 50% last year.

Having consolidated its numbers, BMW M GmbH can look back at an inexplicably good 2008 during which it sold 24 186 M badged cars – at a time BMW AG saw sales drop by 4.3%.

Whilst the rest of the German auto industry is scrapping future models and pondering the idea of federal government guaranteed loans, BMW’s high performance division is hitting sales targets easily.

The strong performance in 2008 can be largely attributed to the latest generation M3, it leads the sales table in two-door form with 10 571 units. Four-door M3s were delivered to 3 253 new homes in 2008, whilst the larger M5 nestled into the garages of 2 465 new owners.

BMW’s controversially styled M6 range sold just over 1 100 cars in coupe and convertible form respectively.

The Americans accounted for the largest M market share, taking home 10 663 cars in 2008, followed by BMW’s domestic market, which saw 2 777 new M-cars speeding along the autobahn.

BMW hopes to close in further on AMG’s performance orientated market share, especially in the yet untapped SUV market. AMG's ML63 should find competition from the much spied – and heavily denied - X6 M soon. An SUV performance vehicle would offset the loss of Z4 M sales, which have been discontinued.

A thoroughly individualistic division within BMW, it will be fascinating to see if Gerhard Richter will return to head up the M-division again in 2009, after he was seconded to the now stillborn CS project last year.

1er Supersport (by M??), new Z4 M coupé, X5 M and X6 M
I don't see the sales declining much the next coming years....

BTW, what is Richter doing now???

Will Bmw launch an M for the X6 and X5 OR JUST FOR THE x6 ONLY..?

Both! X5+X6

far2000, please include always a link to source if possible.

Well, looks like it is time to focus on where the sales are ;-)

Link for the above Article:

Strong year for BMW's M division: Wheels: News: Industry_News

In other words, give us: M1, M3 CSL, Z4 M and a M6 CSL.

Well said, M3-Csl & M6-Csl is a must along with a super-car with ///M badge! Z4-M is about time!

Exactly Therefore, the M-division must have top priority from now on (especially now that they are done with the SUV-trucks).