BMW US Q3 sales top 100,000 as PHEVs rise and EVs slide

BMW of North America has reported that the BMW brand’s US sales rose 3.4% to 100,210 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, helped by a 23.2% increase in plug-in hybrid sales. Total electrified sales fell 24.9%, and MINI’s sales dropped 10.2% in the same period.

The BMW brand sold 287,154 vehicles over the first nine months of the year, up 4.3%. Combined BMW and MINI sales for the quarter were 106,741 vehicles, about 2.5% higher than a year earlier. These figures cover only BMW and MINI; Rolls-Royce is not included.

SUVs and crossovers continue to drive BMW’s US sales. In the third quarter, BMW sold 43,622 passenger cars, up 3.8%, and 56,588 light trucks, up 3.2%. For the year to date, light truck sales rose 8.4% to 159,845, while passenger car sales slipped 0.4% to 127,309. Light trucks account for nearly 56% of BMW’s US volume in 2026. BMW’s overall year-to-date gain of 11,769 vehicles is matched by a 12,325 increase in light trucks, while car sales are down 556.

Plug-in hybrid sales rose 23.2% in the quarter and 11.7% for the year to date. Total electrified sales, which combine plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles, fell 24.9%. BMW did not publish separate EV sales figures, so the conclusion that fully electric models fell by considerably more than 25% is an inference. BMW attributed the decline to “current market conditions” and a planned model changeover. The $7,500 federal EV tax credit expired on 30 September 2025, which created a rush in the comparable quarter a year earlier. Deliveries of the Neue Klasse iX3 and the updated i7 began late in the quarter; iX3 50 xDrive deliveries started on 16 September, contributing about two weeks of sales.

MINI sold 6,531 cars in the US in the third quarter, down from 7,270 in the same period of 2025. Its nine-month total was 20,248, a 7.4% decline. Derived from those totals, first-half sales were 13,717, down 6.0%; that figure was not provided by the company. BMW sold roughly 15 vehicles for every MINI in the quarter.

BMW has said the eighth-generation G50 3 Series and the electric i3 will reach US dealers in the first quarter of 2027. The 2027 BMW 330 is priced at $49,900; the 330 xDrive at $51,900; the M350 xDrive at $65,900; and the i3 50 xDrive at $61,500, excluding a $1,350 destination charge. Gasoline models drop the “i” from their badges, so the 330i becomes the 330. The i3 50 xDrive has 463 hp and the M350 xDrive has 437 hp, making the i3 $4,400 less expensive. BMW describes the simultaneous launch as its “technology-open” strategy.

Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO of BMW of North America, said response to the Neue Klasse had been encouraging and that new models would help sustain momentum into 2027. The fourth quarter will be the first full quarter with the iX3 and updated i7 on sale, and comparisons should be easier because the fourth quarter of 2025 was the first period without the federal EV credit. Until the new 3 Series and i3 arrive, BMW’s US growth is likely to continue to depend on SUVs and plug-in hybrids. Those points are expectations rather than confirmed results.