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BMW Moves 3 Series Production From Mexico To Germany
BMW US Q3 Sales Rise 3.4% as 3 Series Jumps 46% and iX Collapses 96%
BMW delivered 100,210 vehicles in the US between July and September, up 3.4% year on year, but the headline figure masks a 46.4% surge for the 3 Series and a 96.1% collapse for the iX electric SUV.
By Charlotte Redford · 4 min read
BMW sold 100,210 vehicles in the United States during the third quarter, a 3.4% increase on the same period last year, according to a model-by-model breakdown of the company's July-to-September deliveries. Through the first nine months of 2026, the German marque has moved 287,154 vehicles in the US, up 4.3% year on year.
Beneath that relatively healthy headline number, however, the quarter contained some of the sharpest divergences in recent memory. The 3 Series posted the standout performance, with 11,256 sedans delivered between July and September, a 46.4% jump from the 7,689 sold a year earlier. The model's year-to-date tally now stands at 29,987 units, up 37.3%.
The surge is notable because BMW has just unveiled the next-generation 3 Series. The G50 made its world debut only days ago, meaning the outgoing car is entering the final stretch of its life just as American buyers accelerate their purchases. Typically, demand softens when a replacement is imminent, but the opposite has happened here. Part of the explanation may be that dealers are clearing current inventory ahead of the new model's arrival. M3 sales are bundled with those of the regular car, and the G80 is expected to remain on sale for some time yet.
The X3 and X5 did the heavy lifting elsewhere in the range. The X3 was BMW's best-selling model in the US during the quarter, with 22,457 units delivered, while the X5 found 22,313 buyers over the same period. Together, the two SUVs accounted for nearly 45% of BMW's US sales in the third quarter, underlining their importance to the brand's line-up. As with the 3 Series, buyers appear undeterred by the imminent arrival of a replacement, with the G65 version of the X5 about to reach the market and customers still queuing for the outgoing G05.
At the other end of the scale, the iX electric SUV suffered a dramatic reversal. BMW sold just 121 iX models in the third quarter, compared with 3,136 during the same period last year, a fall of 96.1%. Through September, iX sales are down 63.9%, with 3,566 units sold against 9,878 at this point in 2025. The decline is less surprising than it first appears: BMW USA has ended allocations for the model, and the iX5 is due shortly. The iX is expected to remain in production for other markets until around mid-2028.
The XM, BMW's controversial plug-in hybrid M SUV, also struggled. The company sold 355 units in the third quarter, down 12.8% from the 407 delivered a year earlier. Year to date, sales are down 6.6% to 1,141 vehicles. There is no word on a mid-cycle facelift that might rejuvenate demand, and uncertainty remains over whether a successor is planned.
Several models are declining for reasons that have little to do with consumer sentiment. The 8 Series is heading in the wrong direction, but production has already ended, so fresh inventory is limited. The X4, which BMW stopped making last November, is in the same position. The Z4 fell 24.3% to 406 units in the third quarter, and production of the roadster has also wrapped up, making dwindling sales a mathematical inevitability rather than a sign of fading American appetite for two-seat sports cars. Z4 sales remain up 23.7% for the year, thanks to a stronger first half.
The quarterly figures offer a mixed picture of BMW's US business as it manages the transition between combustion models and electric vehicles. Strong demand for core sedans and SUVs continues to offset weakness in the brand's more specialised electric and performance offerings, while the end of production for several niche models is quietly reshaping the line-up.
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