BMW Model History

Germany · founded 1916

The Bavarian maker of 'the Ultimate Driving Machine' — rear-drive sport sedans, M cars, and roadsters since 1916.

1988 BMW 3 Series E30 M3 Evo I coupe

Photo: “File:1988 BMW M3 EVO I.jpg” by Calreyn88 / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Models

3 Series

BMW's compact sport sedan and the benchmark of its class since 1975 — home of the iconic M3.

Compact executive car · 1975–present
52 model years
2002 (02 Series)

The compact two-door that established BMW's sporting identity — direct ancestor of the 3 Series.

Sport sedan · 1968–1976
5 Series

BMW's mid-size executive sedan since 1972 — the segment benchmark, and home of the M5 super-sedan.

Executive car · 1972–present
7 Series

BMW's flagship luxury sedan since 1977 — the technology and V12 showcase atop the range.

Full-size luxury car · 1977–present
1 Series

BMW's smallest hatchback/coupe line — rear-drive in early generations, later front-drive-based.

Subcompact executive car · 2004–present
2 Series

The compact coupe that carried on the rear-drive small-BMW tradition — home of the M2.

Subcompact executive car · 2014–present
4 Series

The two-door 3 Series spun off into its own line for 2014 — coupe, convertible, and home of the M4.

Compact executive coupe · 2014–present
6 Series

BMW's large grand-touring coupe — the classic 'shark-nose' E24, revived for the 2000s and 2010s.

Grand tourer · 1976–2018
8 Series

BMW's V12 grand-touring flagship coupe of the 1990s, revived in 2018 — home of the M8.

Grand tourer · 1989–present
Z3

BMW's 1990s roadster — the first BMW built solely in the US, famous from the James Bond film GoldenEye.

Roadster · 1996–2002
Z4

The Z3's successor — BMW's two-seat roadster across three generations, latterly shared with the Toyota Supra.

Roadster · 2003–2026
Z8

A limited-production retro roadster with a V8 — a 507-inspired halo car of the early 2000s.

Roadster · 2000–2003
X5

BMW's first SUV — the 'Sports Activity Vehicle' that launched the brand's hugely successful X line.

Mid-size luxury SUV · 2000–present
X3

BMW's compact SAV — the smaller, high-volume companion to the X5, later including the X3 M.

Compact luxury SUV · 2004–present
X1

BMW's entry-level crossover — rear-drive-based at first, later on a front-drive platform.

Subcompact luxury SUV · 2013–present
X6

The original 'coupe SUV' — a sloping-roof X5 that created a whole crossover sub-genre.

Mid-size luxury SUV coupe · 2008–present
X7

BMW's largest SUV — a three-row, full-size luxury flagship at the top of the X line.

Full-size luxury SUV · 2019–present
i3

BMW's pioneering carbon-fiber electric city car, with an optional range-extender engine.

Subcompact electric car · 2014–2021
i8

A futuristic plug-in-hybrid sports car with a carbon-fiber body and scissor doors.

Plug-in hybrid sports car · 2014–2020
i4

An all-electric Gran Coupe closely related to the 4 Series — including the performance i4 M50.

Compact electric car · 2022–present
iX

BMW's purpose-built electric SUV flagship — a technology showcase for the 'i' brand.

Mid-size electric SUV · 2022–present

Other makes