BMW cements its leading position on the Old Continent. According to the latest report from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), from January to April 2026, exactly 267,075 new cars with the BMW emblem were registered in Europe. This represents a modest but extremely important growth of 1.1% year-on-year, which turns out to be quite enough to leave the eternal rivals behind them.
The ACEA statistics, covering markets throughout the European Union, the United Kingdom and the EFTA countries, arrange the eternal German trio in a rather interesting way. The peculiar silver medal for the first four months goes to Audi. The brand with the four rings recorded a serious jump of 7.2% in sales, reaching a level of 230,595 units delivered. The top three is closed by Mercedes-Benz, which also reported a positive trend with a 3.4% increase and a total of 222,744 vehicles sold. In contrast, however, Toyota's luxury division - Lexus, is experiencing a real free fall. The Japanese premium brand is losing serious positions in Europe, recording a painful decline of 10.8% to a modest 23,885 units.
Despite BMW's triumph, the brand's overall market share has slightly shrunk from 5.9% to 5.7%. Sounds paradoxical, right? The explanation is simple - mass manufacturers have erupted with mind-boggling growth rates that have distorted the overall picture. The Italians from Fiat literally explode the market with a monstrous jump of 29.2% (131,863 sales), and the Czech pride Skoda continues to tread water with a growth of 14.6%, selling an impressive 300,163 cars.
Fortunately for Munich, the British spearhead of the concern - MINI, also reported a stunning start to the year, recording a 12.8% growth and over 60 thousand cars sold. Thus, the entire BMW Group closes the reporting period with a total asset of 327,152 sales (an increase of 3.1%) and a stable market share of 7%.
The ACEA analysis also shows a serious tectonic shift in consumer tastes in terms of fuels. Traditional hybrids hold the lion's share with 38% of the market, followed by pure gasoline modifications with 22.4%. Electric cars are already breathing down the neck of classic engines with a share of 20.9%, while plug-in hybrids complete the picture with 10.1%. Against this background, diesel technology seems completely doomed - its share has fallen to a symbolic 6.7%, turning the once European darling into an exotic.
However, absolute optimism reigns in the Bavarian camp for the rest of the year. Their plant in Debrecen, Hungary, is already churning out production in two shifts to satisfy the huge hunger for the electric crossover iX3, which will only become more appetizing with the launch of a cheaper version with rear-wheel drive.
The big bombshell, however, is expected in August, when production of the i3 sedan starts in Munich - the next big addition to the revolutionary Neue Klasse family. And as a bonus, in the summer we will see completely new generations of the best-selling X5 and 3 Series. Although these heavyweights will not have time to turn around the statistics for 2026 due to late deliveries, they will be the main fuel that will aim to launch the brand's results to new heights in 2027.