The BMW Z4 officially ended production in May this year, but despite the sports car not being produced for the last month a half, it still somehow managed to outsell BMW’s halo M car… again. BMW has announced its Q2 sales figures for the year, and while there has been growth for the automaker’s plug-in hybrid models (up 22.9% compared to Q1), the BMW XM wasn’t among those models seeing high demand.
BMW managed to move only 398 units during Q2 and 786 units year-to-date, down 2.7% and 3.4% compared to the same periods in 2025, respectively. Comparatively, the Z4 reached 1,099 units in Q2 and 1,577 for the year so far, up 100.9% and 47.8% compared to 2025.
The Real Reason The Z4 Sold So Well
Both are niche models, but BMW can’t be happy with the XM — its halo model — selling quite so few cars, even if it was never expected to be a volume seller. The Z4, on the other hand, was likely helped along by its imminent demise. Production was originally slated to end in October last year, but received a stay of execution driven by high demand from the US market for the Z4 M40i Handschalter Package – the manual-equipped model.
This demand explains why so many were sold, as buyers needed to capitalize before it was gone forever. We saw a similar pattern with the mechanically related Toyota GR Supra. The Supra, for reference, sold 2,116 units for the year, but only 449 of those were delivered in Q2.
BMW’s Biggest Winners And Losers Of 2026 So Far
BMW
BMW’s year-to-date sales are a mixed bag of wins and losses. Overall, brand sales climbed 4.7% to 186,944, with 102,713 of those coming in Q2. That’s cause for celebration when many brands have struggled significantly in a tough economic and political climate. Plug-in hybrid sales soared, but electrified vehicles declined by 18.1%, reflecting the market’s general rejection of EVs. However, Q2 saw demand return slightly, quite likely buoyed by soaring gas prices, which reached over $5 a gallon at their peak.
Audi and Mercedes-Benz are yet to announce their Q2 results, so it’s tough to gauge BMW’s success against rivals, but we can see which models were the biggest winners and losers:
BMW’s Winners Of 2026 So Far
With a 47.8% gain, the Z4 was BMW’s big winner, narrowly beating out another niche model; the BMW X6 was hot on its heels. YTD sales totaled 6,822 units, up 45.1%, with Q2 sales up 72.3% to 3,567 units. The aging 3 Series sedan, which is due for replacement for MY27, saw a 32.3% increase, totaling 18,731 cars for the year so far.
A surprise boost in sales also came for the BMW X2. The X2 jumped 30.6%, moving 3,955 cars for the year, of which nearly 2,500 of those came in the last three months alone. The BMW X3, which is also due for replacement for the 2027 model year, climbed 29.8%, totaling 37,671 cars for the year so far as buyers clamored to get the last of the older generation before the new X3 and iX3 arrive.
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BMW’s Losers Of 2026 So Far
BMW’s biggest loser was no surprise; the X4 was discontinued for the 2026 model year, but still amassed 357 sales for the year, down 88.4%. Of the models still on sale, the iX suffered the most amid the general disdain for EVs from American buyers. It saw sales tumble 48.9% for the year, with only 3,445 reaching customers by the year’s midway point.
While the 3 Series saw a big increase, the 4 Series saw an almost proportionate decrease in sales, dropping 33.4%. Still, it ran the 3 Series close on YTD sales, with 15,573 delivered to customers. X7 sales dipped by 14.2% to 12,622 units YTD. A facelifted X7 is on the way, so this drop in sales may have been related to available supply.
CarBuzz Insights — Why This Matters
BMW’s H1 sales figures paint a picture at odds with the rest of the industry. Some trends are easily visible, like demand for EVs dropping and then rising again as gas prices did, but what’s most surprising is the demand for older models like the 3 Series, X3, X5, Z4, and X2. BMW just unveiled a new X5 – available as an EV, PHEV, and ICE model – and has a new 3 Series and X3 on the way. Dealers may have offered significant deals on older stock to make room for the new generations of these cars, but we suspect a few buyers were also eager to pull out their proverbial checkbooks to secure the last of the old generation models purely as a precaution, not knowing what the new generations might offer.
Regardless, BMW is seeing success when the rest of the industry is struggling.
