BMW M just completed its 14th consecutive year of growth after selling 213,457 vehicles, up 3% from 2024. We’ve already learned that the X3 M50 has replaced the i4 M50/M60 as the brand’s best-selling product, but die-hard fans are far more interested in the full-fat M cars. It’s no surprise that the cheapest model, the M2, topped the charts. However, the company is keeping a low profile about the exact number of G87s sold.
Whatever the number, it is certainly higher than the almost 71,500 M3s that have changed hands in the last 12 months. BMW has never sold so many M3s since the E30 generation came onto the market in 1986. This also includes the era before the M department spun off the two-door derivatives into the M4 coupe and the M4 convertible.
BMW claims the Touring is “very popular” with M3 buyers, even though the G81 isn’t sold in the US, where customers appear to prefer the larger M5 Touring G99. Compared to the M3 sedan, the long-roof version is offered in a simplified model range. It’s not available with a manual transmission, although it’s unclear how many buyers would have opted for a stick-shift M3 Touring anyway.
The M3 Touring’s xDrive-only setup makes sense given its positioning as an all-rounder. The driver can still access rear-wheel drive-only behavior by engaging 2WD mode after fully disabling the dynamic stability control system. BMW also sells a second variant of the M3 Touring, the Competition Sport (CS), but the Hardcore Limited Edition also comes with xDrive and just two pedals.
2025 is likely the last full year the current-generation M3 will be available. We’ve heard that the G80 will end production in February 2027 and the G81 will follow in October. According to rumors, the next-generation model will be launched in 2028 as the G84 sedan. We previously reported that the inline-six engine will be retained, but a mild-hybrid setup will likely be added. In addition, BMW could offer the next M3 exclusively with xDrive and automatic transmission.
It’s still too early to say whether another M3 Touring is planned. Even more worrying is the lack of spy images of the regular test drives of the 3 Series Touring in the rumored G51 guise. Hopefully BMW will continue to compete with the Mercedes C-Class T-Model and the Audi A5 Avant with models with combustion engines.
Meanwhile, the i3 sedan debuting in the coming months is expected to be followed by an i3 Touring before the end of the decade. If an emission-free station wagon actually comes about, an M variant may only be a matter of time. New class electric vehicles such as the iX3, i3 and iX4 will certainly bear the “most powerful letter in the world”.
