When BMW reports global sales, it annoyingly bundles the 7 Series and 8 Series together. That makes it tricky to figure out how each model performs, although we can safely assume that the bulk of the volume is for the 7er. For the first-quarter 2025 results in the United States, the two large luxury models are listed separately, allowing us to see how the mighty have fallen.
In the January-March interval, shipments of the 8 Series fell by a whopping 32.4%, with BMW only selling 990 cars. Mind you, that’s still more than the XM and Z4 combined. However, seeing a three-digit number next to the 8 Series is a harsh reality. The 8er is off to a weak start of the year, not that 2024 was any better. Annual deliveries in the US decreased last year by 7.1% versus 2023, going down to 5,345 vehicles.
It won’t be long before the second-generation 8 Series will be retired. Its gradual demise has already started since the M8 Coupe was removed from the US configurator a while ago. Production of all three M8 versions (F91, F92, F93) will allegedly end around October this year. The last examples of the regular models (G14, G15, G16) could be built in April 2026.
What comes next? Well, nothing, at least not in the foreseeable future. Sources close to Munich claim that even if a third 8 Series is planned, it won’t hit the market until 2029. Of the three body styles, only the four-door Gran Coupe could survive. It’s unclear whether it will stay on the CLAR platform or go purely electric on Neue Klasse.
In the meantime, expect sales of the current 8 Series to decrease as BMW retires more versions. Although it didn’t live up to the hype of its E31 predecessor, it’ll be a sad day when the final 8 rolls off the assembly line. This is especially true if you like the cars from the old guard before the supersized screen craze.
Source: BMW USA
