Statement Walter Mertl, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Finance, Conference Call Quarterly Statement to 30 June 2026
BMW Group reported a 35% drop in second-quarter earnings before tax to 1.7 billion euros, citing weaker sales in China and Asia-Pacific, while Europe and the US saw growth.
The useful question is what changes for users, developers or buyers, and whether the announcement stays industry context or becomes something people can actually use.
BMW Group’s second-quarter revenues reached 31.3 billion euros, down from the prior year, as sales in China and the Asia-Pacific region declined. The company attributed the drop to weaker demand in China and increased export competition, compounded by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Despite gains in Europe and the US—where deliveries rose 7.6% and 11.9% respectively—these increases did not offset the broader regional declines. Group earnings before tax fell 35% year-on-year to 1.7 billion euros, reflecting the challenging market conditions.
Automotive segment earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) totaled 629 million euros in the quarter, with a margin of 2.3%, including a 1.25 percentage point impact from higher tariffs. Depreciation from the BBA purchase price allocation further reduced the margin by 1.2 percentage points. Year-to-date, Automotive EBIT stood at 2 billion euros with a margin of 3.6%. Total vehicle deliveries for the quarter fell 4.9% to 591,000 units, driven by a 7.7% decline in BMW brand sales, while MINI deliveries rose 17.1% due to strong demand for all-electric models.
Electrified vehicle sales accounted for 27.6% of total deliveries in the quarter, including 19.8% for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Europe led growth in BEV sales, increasing 38% year-on-year to over 81,000 units, with nearly one-third of European deliveries being BEVs. The performance supports BMW’s expectation of meeting EU CO2 emissions targets in 2026. Globally, the company delivered 117,000 BEVs and 163,000 electrified vehicles in the quarter.
Walter Mertl, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Finance, highlighted the mixed regional performance and emphasized the impact of external factors such as tariffs and geopolitical tensions. He noted that while electrified vehicle sales showed resilience, particularly in Europe, the overall financial results reflected the broader market challenges. The company’s year-to-date EBT declined 29.4% to around 4 billion euros.