BMW Is Halting All China-Made EVs

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BMW Is Halting All China-Made EVs

BMW is halting all China-made EVs. Not exiting. Resetting. By July, BMW will stop producing the i3, i5, and iX1 — its entire current lineup of China-manufactured battery-electric vehicles.

Official statement describes this as a “routine production adjustment based on market rhythm and product lifecycle.” In 2025, BMW sold 23,369 i3s in China. The iX1 moved 14,088 units. The i5, just 7,461. Through the first five months of 2026, the trajectory worsened: 5,306, 3,902, and 1,493 respectively.

For a brand that once defined premium mobility, these are not volumes — they’re afterthoughts. BMW’s answer is the Neue Klasse platform — a dedicated battery-electric architecture designed without compromise for electric powertrains.

The numbers suggest a generational leap: the long-wheelbase iX3 targets over 900 kilometers of CLTC range, the long-wheelbase i3 over 1,000 kilometers.

Both feature an entirely new electrical architecture, a new smart cockpit system, and advanced driver assistance capabilities developed with BMW’s China-based R&D teams. BMW Group’s Q1 2026 financials already reflect the pressure: revenue of €31.01 billion, down 8.1% year-on-year.

Pre-tax profit of €2.35 billion, down 24.6%. China deliveries of 144,000 units, down 10% — the steepest decline among BMW’s major markets. In June, the company downgraded its full-year automotive EBIT margin guidance from 4-6% to 1-3%, explicitly citing intensifying competition in China.

For European automotive professionals, BMW’s situation raises a question that extends beyond one brand: if the definition of “premium” in the world’s largest auto market has fundamentally changed, how long before that redefinition reaches European shores?

Sources

  • BMW Group, Q1 2026 Quarterly Statement and Q1 2026 press release, 6 May 2026 — Group revenue €31.01bn (−8.1%), earnings before tax €2.348bn (−24.6%), China deliveries −10.0%.
  • BMW AG, Adjustment of 2026 Guidance (ad-hoc disclosure under Art. 17 MAR), 16 June 2026 — Automotive EBIT margin guidance cut from 4–6% to 1–3%.
  • China retail registration data 2025 and January–May 2026 via Sina Finance, 19 June 2026 — i3 23,369 units (2025), iX1 14,088, i5 7,461.
  • CNEVPost, 17 June 2026 — end of China-built BEV production from July 2026; Neue Klasse iX3 800V architecture, 900 km CLTC.
  • BMW Group press release library: press.bmwgroup.com.

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