German premium automaker founded in 1916. Produces the BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce brands. Known for performance-oriented vehicles, the M division, and progressive electrification with the iX and i4 lines.
The BMW i3 revives a familiar nameplate for an all-new Neue Klasse electric sedan built on BMW's second EV-specific platform. The i3 50 xDrive makes 463 hp with an 800V architecture, up to 912 km of WLTP range, and 400 kW DC charging. Order books opened in Germany from EUR 65,900; deliveries start in fall 2026, with a stretched-wheelbase version for China following later.
The BMW iX3 is the first series-production car on the Neue Klasse platform, an electric SUV with an 800-volt system, a 108.7 kWh battery and up to 805 km of WLTP range. The launch 50 xDrive uses two motors for 469 hp and 645 Nm, reaching 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. Peak DC charging is 400 kW, enough for 10 to 80 percent in about 21 minutes. US pricing starts at $61,500 plus destination, with deliveries there from September 2026.
The BMW iX5 60 xDrive is the battery-electric version of the fifth-generation X5, with a 141 kWh pack, up to 845 km of WLTP range, 570 hp and 460 kW peak charging that adds 274 km of range in 10 minutes. A hydrogen fuel-cell iX5 developed with Toyota is planned to follow in 2028.
The first all-wheel-drive BMW M2. The S58 twin-turbo six is updated for Euro 7 and makes 480 hp; M xDrive cuts the 0-100 km/h time to 3.7 s and can fully decouple the front axle for rear-drive drifts. From €81,300.
US/Canada-exclusive manual-transmission variant of the M3 CS. Biturbo 3.0L inline-6 detuned to 480 hp, six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive only. 26 kg lighter than a standard manual M3, with full M4 CSL suspension. Price from $107,100. Deliveries fall 2026.
The fifth-generation BMW X5 (G65) drops the third-row seat and split tailgate, adopts Neue Klasse styling and the new iDrive X interior, and offers petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power ahead of the electric iX5. The M60e plug-in flagship combines 603 hp with a 98 km WLTP electric range.
The BMW Z4 (G29) was a rear-drive two-seat roadster built at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria from 2018 until May 2026, developed alongside the fifth-generation Toyota Supra. It was sold only as a soft-top, with four-cylinder sDrive20i and sDrive30i versions and a 3.0-litre straight-six M40i rated at 340 PS in Europe and 382 hp in the United States. Final US prices ran from $56,100 to $78,675 for the Final Edition. BMW has announced no successor.
A second-generation BMW X7 has been filmed testing at the Nurburgring with four exhaust tips, which points to a V8 surviving into the new car. The bigger change is the electric iX7 that joins it, reported to run next-generation Neue Klasse batteries and motors on the existing CLAR architecture rather than on a dedicated electric platform.
Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Hyundai have all restored physical controls after customer complaints. BMW Group Australia chief Vikram Pawah says the company reads the same evidence differently, and the new iX3 carries no climate switches on its dashboard at all.
BMW has run a prototype of the i3 Touring at the Nurburgring, confirming an all-electric wagon for the Neue Klasse i3 family. The test car is believed to carry i3 50 xDrive running gear: dual-motor all-wheel drive, a 108.7 kWh battery and 400 kW DC charging. It is built alongside the sedan in Munich, with sales due in 2027.
The Volkswagens sold in China are built by two companies, and one of them is Chinese. That arrangement started in 1983 as a condition of entry, and it has since produced badges that exist nowhere else: Jetta, Wuling, and AUDI in block capitals with no rings. Who holds which half, which brands the ventures invented for themselves, and which of the old partnerships have quietly ended.
Most European badges trace back to about five mega-groups - Volkswagen, Stellantis, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Renault. But several beloved European brands are now owned abroad, in China, India and the UAE, and a few Chinese and joint-venture names now sell under European flags. Here is who owns what in 2026.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW AG) is headquartered in Munich and is one of the world’s best-selling premium vehicle manufacturers. The company was founded in 1916 as an aircraft engine maker before pivoting to motorcycles and then automobiles in the 1920s.
The BMW brand spans sedans, SUVs, and coupes across multiple size classes, from the 1 Series compact to the 7 Series luxury flagship. The performance-focused M division offers models ranging from the M2 coupe to the M5 sedan. M CS and M CSL designations mark the highest track-ready variants, built in strictly limited numbers with significant weight reduction and power increases over standard M models.
BMW’s electrification strategy runs in parallel with combustion models: the i4, i5, and i7 are electric versions of their respective series, while the iX is a dedicated EV platform. The company targets 50% of global sales to be fully electric by 2030.
