BMW sees record 2025 US sales as local plant shields it from tariffs

Sales in the United States by German carmaker BMW reached record levels in 2025 for the third year in a row, thanks to a massive local manufacturing plant that helped the luxury brand avoid new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

BMW sold 388,897 cars in the US last year, up 4.7% year-on-year, the company said.

However, sales were down 3.4% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, with BMW selling 113,512 vehicles.

BMW, whose US operations are headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, manufactures most of its cars sold in the US at a plant in South Carolina, described as "the largest single BMW production facility in the world."

That means the brand has mostly been spared from the new US tariffs on cars and car parts that came into force last year.

By contrast, German rival Audi saw its US sales plummet by 16% in 2025, selling only 164,942 cars.

In the fourth quarter, sales even fell by 36% year-on-year to 36,233 vehicles, the carmaker said.