If EV sales are a race, then the BMW Group is clearly winning. Well, at least in Europe. About a quarter of all cars sold on the continent last year didn’t have a combustion engine. That’s right: one in four vehicles delivered in 2025 was fully electric. Europe is leading the charge (pun intended) for the company, considering the global EV share stands at 18%. On the continent, that figure rose to 25% once MINI and Rolls-Royce electric car sales were factored in.
The BMW Group’s strategy of offering a diversified lineup of plug-in hybrids is also paying off. When EVs and PHEVs are combined, electrified vehicles accounted for more than 40% of European sales last year. As a result, it’s no surprise the company is confident it will meet the EU’s 2025 CO₂ fleet emissions target.
The past 12 months were strong for BMW and MINI in Europe, where total deliveries rose 7.3% to 1,016,360 units. In its home market of Germany, demand increased 8.7% to 290,742 vehicles, heading into 2026, when Neue Klasse will usher in radical lineup changes. Deliveries of the new iX3 begin in March, kicking off a broader product onslaught.
BMW reiterates that the next-generation 3 Series and X5 will arrive this year, both offering plug-in hybrid variants. The sedan and SUV will also receive fully electric versions, to be sold as the i3 and iX5, respectively. In addition, the refreshed 7 Series is expected to retain the 750e and M760e plug-in hybrids alongside the all-electric i7 lineup.
Although the iX4 hasn’t been officially announced, spy shots all but confirm it’s on the way. We’ve learned it’s set to debut in 2026 and go on sale before the year’s end. The real impact of these models will be felt in 2027, their first full year on the market, when they should further increase the share of EVs and PHEVs in total BMW Group sales.
Looking ahead to 2030, the company has set an ambitious goal: to sell one in two cars without a combustion engine. Whether EVs alone will reach a 50% global share by the end of the decade remains to be seen, but Neue Klasse gives the BMW Group a fighting chance. From a volume standpoint, the rumored i1 and i2 should play a meaningful role. The next-generation iX1 is also expected to lift the overall share of electric vehicles in the company’s sales mix.
Although the BMW Group is pushing ahead with electrification, it continues to advocate for combustion engines. It has long opposed a premature ICE ban in Europe, and that sustained pressure appears to have paid off. The European Union will allow the sale of new gasoline-powered cars to continue beyond 2035. However, automakers must slash tailpipe emissions by 90% compared to 2021 levels.
