BMW started with a clear message in 2025: it moves further than the world’s leading premium car manufacturer. In the first quarter of the year, BMW sold 520,142 cars under its core brand, a small decline of 2.0 percent compared to the previous year. But that was still much better than his main competitor, Mercedes-Benz, who declined by 4.0 percent and ended the quarter with 446,300 units sold-a number that contains intelligent models and Maybach models that are not specified separately.
If you add Mini and Rolls-Royce, the total turnover of the BMW group is 586,149 vehicles, only 1.4 percent less than in the same period of the previous year. In the first quarter of 2024, BMW Mercedes-Benz was ahead of 131,671 vehicles. This year this lead has grown to 139,849 vehicles.
One of the main reasons for the success of BMW was the strong performance in Europe. Sales in the region rose by 6.2 percent, while Mercedes’ turnover fell by 7 percent. In China, both car manufacturers faced challenges. The BMW turnover fell by 17.2 percent, while Mercedes decreased by 10 percent. Although both had problems, the global results of BMW have contributed to getting ahead overall.
The biggest difference was in electric vehicles (BEVS). BMW increased its turnover with electric cars by huge 32.4 percent and reached 109,516 BEVS in the first quarter of 2025. This includes:
- 86,449 electric BMWs
- 22,813 electrical minis
- 254 Rolls-Royce ghostster
In the meantime, Mercedes-Benz and Smart only sold 40,700 electric vehicles, a decrease of 14 percent compared to the previous year. The electrical sales of BMW were more than twice as high as in the count of the BMW brand alone. [Source: BimmerToday]
