BMW deliveries in China fall 21.2% through September
Key Facts
BMW brand deliveries in China fell 21.2% year on year from January through September 2026, according to a group statement, as global deliveries declined despite growth in Europe and the United States. Combined deliveries of the BMW and Mini brands in China totalled 376,128 vehicles in the first nine months of the year. That represented a decline of 21.8% from the same period a year earlier. In the third quarter alone, the two brands delivered 114,355 vehicles in China, down 24.8% year on year, a steeper decline than over the year to date. Globally, group deliveries totalled 551,072 vehicles in the third quarter, down 6.3% from the corresponding quarter. Total global deliveries from January through September reached 1,707,799 vehicles, down 4.9% year on year.
By contrast, group deliveries in Europe rose 4.5% in the first nine months of 2026, according to BMW's statement, with the region recording growth during the period in which Chinese deliveries contracted. The United States also recorded an increase in deliveries over the same period, rising 3.4% from a year earlier. Against the economic backdrop in China, the National Bureau of Statistics said gross domestic product grew 4.5% year on year in the third quarter of 2026. Fixed-asset investment, excluding rural households, fell 7.2% from a year earlier in the first nine months. The growth and investment figures were included in the bureau's announcement on October 19, with the investment data covering January through September.
On capital returns to shareholders, BMW bought 245,796 ordinary shares from October 12 to 18, 2026, according to the purchase record published on its investor relations website. The purchases totalled 13,174,893.31 euros and were made under the company's existing share buyback programme. As of October 18, total shares purchased under the programme shown in the company's record had reached 26,669,068. The cumulative value of purchases under that programme totalled 1,907,146,724.93 euros, according to the same record. The company states that the programme's primary purpose is the "cancellation of shares and reduction of share capital", with some shares allocated to employee programmes.
On electric vehicle technology, BMW says its sixth-generation batteries enable charging speeds to increase by up to 30% compared with the previous generation. It adds that the improvements also include driving range, with an increase of up to 30%, among the benefits it claims for the new technology. In a separate announcement dated October 20, 2026, the company presented a 460-kilowatt charging demonstration in cooperation with Ionna and Alpitronic. BMW described the event as a "technology demonstration", explaining the nature of the equipment used in the joint presentation. It said in the announcement that the equipment "does not represent charging equipment currently commercially available in the United States", specifying its commercial status at the time of the announcement.
The group's global deliveries of fully electric vehicles totalled 110,257 in the third quarter of 2026, according to BMW's deliveries statement. That figure rose 7.2% from the same quarter a year earlier, while total group deliveries declined during the period. In China, the company began series production of sixth-generation high-voltage batteries in Shenyang to supply Neue Klasse models manufactured locally in the country. The investor relations website set November 4, 2026, as the date for publication of the next quarterly statement and its availability for download. Also in November, BMW plans to begin launching the Chinese version of the new iX3 in the Chinese market, according to the group's announcement.