German carmakers Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi collectively command around 80% of the global luxury car market. Sales numbers for 2025 are out, revealing overall performance across key markets such as China, United States and Europe. While global sales of all three brands are in the red, BMW appears to be more resilient amid ongoing challenges. Let’s check out more details on these developments.
Challenges in the US market
German luxury carmakers have been facing headwinds since 2024. One of the key challenges is the aggressive tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration. The United States is the second largest market for the German Big Three, after China. Current policy makers in the USA want carmakers to increase local manufacturing or face high tariffs. In the USA, the federal tax credits for electric vehicles have also been axed in 2025. This has impacted the sales of EVs in the country.
BMW global sales 2025
Despite these challenges, BMW has reported positive growth in the US market. Sales of BMW and Mini brands collectively registered a 5% growth. Overall sales were at 417,638 units in the US. BMW’s Q4 sales in the US had negative growth of -4.6% (120,398 units), but even then, the overall growth for 2025 is positive. Among the Big Three, BMW is ahead in sales in the US and has demonstrated good financial stability.
Coming to BMW’s global sales, including BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce brands, the total figure is at 2,463,715 units. That’s a positive growth of 0.5%. However, if we consider only BMW models, the sales are at 2,169,761 units. This is a decline of -1.4%.
On its own, the Mini brand registered a healthy growth of 17.7%, with total sales at 288,290 units. Rolls-Royce faced a marginal decline of -0.8%, with sales at 5,664 units. BMW’s motorcycle division, BMW Motorrad, saw its global sales decline by -3.7% to 202,563 units. In India, BMW’s overall sales (BMW + Mini + Motorcycles) registered a decline of -0.75% in 2025.
Mercedes-Benz global sales 2025
Global sales of Mercedes-Benz registered a decline of -10%, dropping to 2,160,000 units in 2025. Among these, sales of commercial vehicles (Mercedes-Benz Vans division) were at 359,100 units. Sales of passenger cars declined by -9% to 1,800,800 units. Mercedes-Benz sales in China declined by -19%, dropping to 551,900 units.
In the US, sales were down by -12% to 284,600 units. Sales in Europe dropped to 634,600 units (-1%), whereas sales in Germany were at 213,200, which is largely the same as last year. In India, Mercedes-Benz registered a decline of -2.85% in 2025.
Audi global sales 2025
Total sales were at 1,623,551 units, which is a decline of -2.9% in comparison to sales in 2024. Audi sales in China were down by -5%, falling to 617,514 units. Sales in North America (USA + Canada) were at 202,143 units, a decline of -12.2%. While sales in Germany increased by 4% to 206,290 units, the overall numbers for Europe were down by -0.5% to 464,046 units. In India, Audi registered a decline of -22.46% in 2025. Sales were down to 4,510 units, as compared to 5,816 units in 2024.
In the EV segment, BMW has the lead in global sales in 2025 at 442,072 units. That’s an increase of 3.6%. Audi also registered positive growth of 36% in the EV space, with sales at 223,000 units in 2025. Mercedes-Benz registered negative growth of -9%, with its EV sales dropping to 168,800 units in 2025.
