Article Summary
- The new iX3 fuels demand for electric vehicles on the Old Continent, with BMW reporting over 50,000 pre-orders.
- The i3 goes on sale in Europe later this year.
- BMW will also launch a first-ever iX5 before the end of 2026.
The BMW Group didn’t get off to a great start this year. Combined sales of BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce models fell 4.6% to 496,006 vehicles in the first quarter of 2026. Even so, there are reasons for optimism. In Europe, the Group has 60% more pre-orders for electric vehicles than it did in the first quarter of 2025.
As of now, 50,000+ customers in Europe have signed up for the iX3 50 xDrive, according to CEO Oliver Zipse. With the cheaper iX3 40 set to launch soon in the region, demand could climb even higher. BMW has also opened configuration and ordering for the first Neue Klasse EV in North America, adding another reason to be confident.
The facelifted i7 is unlikely to move the needle given its lofty asking price. However, a different sedan could push EV demand into a higher gear. BMW plans to start i3 production in August, with European deliveries beginning only a few weeks later. The company has yet to disclose pricing, but sedans generally cost less than their SUV counterparts.
The iX3 And i3 Will Be Followed Soon By An iX5
We haven’t forgotten about the imminent debut of the first-ever iX5, although its impact on the sales charts likely won’t be fully felt until 2027. The same applies to the i3 since BMW won’t launch the electric sedan in the U.S. until next year. The next-generation iX1, first-ever i3 Touring, i5 facelift, and first iX7 are also scheduled to arrive in 2027.
In the meantime, the BMW Group says about one in four vehicles it sold in Europe during Q1 2026 lacked a combustion engine. Fully electric models accounted for 25.3% of total deliveries across the continent from January through March. However, growing EV demand in Europe couldn’t offset declines in other regions. For example, BMW believes the end of subsidies in the U.S. has hurt demand.
In Q1 2026, EVs accounted for 15.5% of BMW Group deliveries, down from 18.7% a year earlier. Plug-in hybrids also slipped from 8.2% to 8%. As a result, EVs and PHEVs together represented 23.4% of total deliveries, compared with 26.9% in the first quarter of 2025.
Looking ahead, the BMW Group still expects EVs to account for 50% of total sales by the end of the decade. After investing more than €10 billion into Neue Klasse, its largest single investment ever, the Munich-based automaker believes it can reach that target within the next four years. Launching long-wheelbase EVs such as the stretched i3 and iX3 in certain markets should improve those odds, although hitting the 50% mark by 2030 will still be a major challenge.
