BMW achieved record-high V8 engine sales in 2024 while simultaneously selling the most premium EVs, proving their dual-powertrain strategy worksThe company's V8s are especially popular in the US market, available across X5, X6, X7, 7 Series, 8 Series, and standard in M modelsBMW's cautious approach of investing in both EV and ICE technology is paying off while competitors who went all-in on EVs struggle BMW is looking ahead to the future with its Neue Klasse EV platform, shiny new electric crossovers, and all the zero-emissions promises that modern automotive companies are required to make. But while doing that, they've also quietly achieved something rather remarkable: last year was their best ever for V8 sales. Record high. More eight-cylinder engines sold than at any point in BMW's history. Dr. Joachim Post, BMW's R&D head, revealed this during a recent conversation, and it's genuinely significant. "We want to give the customer the best car, and they can decide what kind of powertrain they want," Post explained. Not get a new car only if they choose an EV, an old car if they want a combustion engine. The world is different. Last year, we had the most sales of premium EVs, and at the same time, record high sales for eight-cylinder engines." BMW V8 popularity and market strategy BMW's V8s are especially popular in the US market, where bigger is better and fuel economy is someone else's problem. The twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter engine is available as an option in the X5, X6, X7, 7 Series, and 8 Series models, and comes standard in the M5, M8, X5 M, and X6 M. The new M5 introduced BMW's plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain, combining eight-cylinder power with electric assistance, and that's proving successful too. While BMW is best known for its legendary straight-six engines, the company has V8 heritage dating back to luxury cars in the 1950s and 1960s. They brought the V8 back permanently in the early 1990s for the 5, 7, and 8 Series, and it proved especially popular in larger vehicles like the X5 SUV. BMW's latest V8, the S68 that debuted in 2022, also powers top-end Land Rover and Range Rover models, generating additional revenue while spreading development costs. Combined with hybrid systems, BMW's V8 provides the power and character customers want while satisfying increasingly strict emissions regulations. It's the automotive equivalent of having your cake and eating it too, except the cake costs six figures and sounds absolutely glorious at full throttle.
