The G80 M3 (and the G82 M4 – you get it) debuted on September 23, 2020, and was launched during the height of COVID into an uncertain market. It was ridiculed upon its debut for polarizing styling, mostly by people who would never buy one anyway. It broke rules too – all-wheel drive, increased weight, and a full automatic transmission, no DCT. But five years into production, it’s arguably BMW’s most successful M car ever made. But just how many BMW G8X have been sold?
The answer is elusive.
How many BMW G8X have been sold?
Unfortunately, I can’t answer that definitively because BMW has not released any production number information. I can tell you that in 2021, BMW M sold more cars than ever (163,542), but that includes both M and M Performance models. Since then, they’ve gone on to sell more and more each year, and in 2024 reached 206,582 units sold in the U.S. To put that into broader perspective, Mazda sold 424,382 vehicles in the U.S. in 2024, just a bit more than double.
BMW M is no longer a niche product.
It’s safe to say that the G80 will outsell its predecessor, the F80, which sold just 34,667 total units worldwide.
Why is the G8X so popular?
BMW makes it so easy to order an M3 exactly how you’d like it. Their Individual program has really added a layer of “special” and thus popularity.
My new M3 gets waay more attention than my old one, despite them being pretty much the same car.
That’s a microcosm of what takes place on social media. BMW M’s 11 million followers are only bested by brands like Ferrari and Porsche.
The M3 has become the poster child for that following. I guess BMW got lucky – how the car went from an ugly duckling to something so admired should be studied by other brands. After all, an IS 500 might not be as fast, but it’s an amazing car in its own right. It simply doesn’t have the same level of clout. And you can’t just go into a Lexus dealer and order a car – they’ve got to find one for you, in the right spec, and hope the dealer will trade for it.
Inflation (and greed) hasn’t slowed down production
The base price of an M3 in 2021 was $70,895. That’s a pretty good deal, even if it’s only for the manual version. Today, it’s $76,600. That’s due mostly to BMW being greedy, but it hasn’t slowed down production. Nor has it had an effect on the options you put into the car – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stripper model.
This is curtains for the stick, and possibly the last without a hybrid powertrain. But like every M3 before it, no two generations are exactly alike. Perhaps that’s part of what makes the M3 so special.
The G8X LCI mega gallery
I was recently invited to attend a meet up with fellow M3 owners. This was exclusive for LCI owners, though a few older models made it in…
