BMW has built its one-millionth M vehicle, marking a major milestone for the automaker’s performance division 54 years after its establishment. The landmark car, a specially finished G80-generation BMW M3 Competition, rolled off the assembly line at the company’s Munich plant on October 2, coinciding with the M3’s 40th anniversary.
BMW marked the achievement with a ceremony at the Munich facility and a look toward the division’s future. The celebration also highlighted the M3’s longstanding importance to BMW M, whose production history includes a million vehicles across its performance lineup.
A Special BMW M3 Competition Marks the Milestone
The millionth M vehicle is a G80-generation M3 Competition finished in a one-off color called Fire Orange III through BMW Individual. The distinctive paintwork sets the car apart as a special example of the model.
BMW organized a ceremony at its Munich plant to commemorate the occasion. Plant director Peter Weber handed the keys to the milestone M3 to BMW M boss Franciscus van Meel, symbolically marking the division’s production achievement.
The event also carried significance for the factory itself. The Munich plant is scheduled to focus exclusively on electric vehicle production starting next year, making the milestone ceremony a symbolic farewell to internal combustion engine production at the facility.
BMW Celebrates the M3’s 40th Anniversary
The millionth M vehicle milestone coincided with the M3’s 40th anniversary, giving BMW two occasions to recognize its performance division. Alongside the celebration of its production history, the automaker offered a glimpse of the future with a teaser for the upcoming Neue Klasse M3.
Weber highlighted the connection between the Munich plant and the M3, emphasizing the employees who have helped build the model over the decades.
“The first BMW M3 was built at the Munich plant more than 40 years ago,” Weber said in an interview. “The team’s pride in and emotional attachment to this iconic model are correspondingly great.”
He also credited the workforce for making the production milestone possible.
“Above all, this anniversary celebrates the people behind the vehicles: the expertise, commitment, and passion of our employees. They have made this milestone possible and are the reason why BMW M has been setting global standards for decades.”
BMW M Production: M3 and M4 Dominate the Lineup
BMW’s production figures reveal the importance of its core performance models. More than half of all M vehicles built to date have been either M3s or M4s, demonstrating the combined significance of the two nameplates to the division’s history.
However, the most successful individual model so far is the F87-generation BMW M2, produced from 2016 through 2021. BMW built slightly more than 62,000 examples, making it the division’s all-time best-seller by model.
The M2 and M5 have also accounted for a substantial share of BMW M production. The M2 represents 11.7% of total sales, while the M5 accounts for 13.5%. Together, the two models make up about a quarter of all vehicles sold.
North America Leads BMW M Popularity
North America is BMW M’s strongest market by a substantial margin, with demand surpassing that of the entire rest of the left-hand-drive world combined.
The regional figures underline the importance of North American buyers to the performance division as it reaches the one-million-vehicle milestone.
Could the G80 BMW M3 Overtake the M2?
Although the F87 M2 currently holds the title of BMW M’s best-selling individual model, the G80-generation M3 is closing the gap. Its production is progressing toward the M2’s total of slightly more than 62,000 units, and it is expected to surpass that figure in the near future.
The millionth M vehicle, itself a G80 M3 Competition, therefore highlights both the division’s production achievement and the continuing importance of the M3 nameplate. With more than half of all M vehicles built being M3s or M4s, the milestone reflects the central role those models have played in BMW M’s history.
