BMW against the tide: record V8 Sales in 2024

BMW continues to prove itself as a benchmark in the automotive world, keeping alive a V8 engine tradition that car enthusiasts truly love. One striking fact confirms this. In 2024, the Bavarian manufacturer recorded an exceptionally high number of gasoline engine sales — especially the iconic M5 V8s.
It’s a trend that clearly goes against the European directives pushing for full electrification. Yet it enjoys the strong support of a market that’s increasingly reluctant to accept imposed change.

Read also: Bmw 2002 iconic livery returns on the 2025 Williams

Despite BMW being very active in the electric vehicle segment, with 430,000 EVs delivered out of 2.5 million cars sold worldwide, the V8 engines have achieved an all-time record. In fact, the company has never sold as many V8s as it did in 2024.

Bmw electric and V8 combustion engines can coexist

While many other manufacturers are phasing out combustion models, often at the expense of sales, BMW has chosen a different path: product diversification.
According to Joachim Post, Head of Research and Development, demand for V8 engines in 2024 reached its highest level ever.

The philosophy behind it is simple: let customers decide what they want, without forcing them into pre-set choices. And on this point, it’s hard not to agree.

The key player in this success is the S68 V8 engine, first introduced in 2022 and now powering models like the new M5 and X7. It’s paired with an electric unit to create a high-performance hybrid system.
Between brutal performance and advanced technology, BMW is proving that even the most powerful engines can achieve a remarkably low environmental impact, thanks to continuous innovation and refinement.

The New M5 G90, a record breaking car

The new hybrid M5 G90 is also seeing strong sales, particularly in the United States, where large, muscular designs and V8 power remain irresistible to car lovers.
Across the Atlantic, V8s show no sign of giving way to the quiet electric motors that. Let’s be honest: still feel like an unwanted imposition for many drivers.

The only real downside of the new BMW M5 G90 is its dry weight: a hefty 2,500 kg without engine oil, coolant, or passengers on board.
Despite its 727 horsepower making it quick and undeniably fun to drive, that’s still an excessive figure for a sports sedan that, in theory, should weigh about 500 kg less.

It’s true that twenty years of technological progress, hybrid systems, and advanced safety features have inevitably added extra mass.
However, when you consider that the 2010 M5 E60, powered by the legendary naturally aspirated V10, tipped the scales at just 1,900 kg, the difference becomes hard to ignore.
It shows how the pursuit of efficiency and comfort has improved performance overall, but at the cost of a weight that now feels well beyond reason for a true driver’s car.

In the end, the market always has the final say — and the numbers speak for themselves. BMW is carving out an alternative path where tradition and innovation don’t compete but rather blend together.
Once again, that vision keeps BMW one step ahead of the rest.