Americans feel very differently about these two brands right now
Most neutral car enthusiasts would agree that BMW and Audi are closely matched. Yes, BMW has a sportier bent and Audi leans more towards comfort, but the two brands offer similar levels of prestige, upscale design, and technology. Both manufacturers have consistently produced class-leading vehicles over many decades, together with Mercedes-Benz (which has not reported first-half sales yet).
Despite this, the latest sales figures in the United States show a huge gulf in sales between the two brands in 2025 so far. Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.
BMW Is Crushing Audi On The Sales Charts
BMW
BMW has sold 178,499 vehicles in the USA for the year so far, while Audi has only managed 81,951 units – less than double BMW’s volume. These BMW sales do not include the Mini brand, by the way. Despite the challenge of tariffs, BMW has managed to grow sales in the first half of the year by 1.6%, whereas Audi sales have gone down by 12% year-on-year.
“Our sales performance over the first half of the year is a clear indication that we have the right strategy, products, and dealer network to succeed,” said Sebastian Mackensen, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “We’re confident in our business and look forward to building on this progress in the second half of the year, despite some challenges in the marketplace.”
Core BMW Models Easily Outselling Audi Equivalents
2025 BMW X3 BMW
BMW’s best-selling model in 2025 so far is the X5, with 33,588 units sold. By comparison, Audi has sold only 9,975 examples of the aging Q7. Audi’s small crossovers did a bit better, but were still outsold by BMW. BMW moved 29,029 X3s and 13,322 X1s, whereas Audi sold 22,914 Q5s and 12,612 Q3s. A new Q3 debuted last month, so Audi may see a bump up in sales for this subcompact model.
Audi’s sedan sales have been poor. It sold 500 A4s, 3,559 A6s, and 749 A8s. Over at BMW, sales of the 3 Series (14,157), 5 Series (13,432), and 7 Series (5,707) towered over Audi in the first six months of the year. Audi sold 8,275 examples of the A5, which now replaces the old A5 and the A4 in the brand’s lineup. However, once you add 3 Series and 4 Series (23,369) sales, BMW easily eclipses Audi in this segment, too. Audi sold 4,880 A3 sedans, behind the 9,740 units BMW sold of the 2 Series (includes both the 2 Series Coupe and 2 Series Gran Coupe).
Niche Models And EVs: A Similar Trend
2025 Audi SQ6 Sportback e-tron exterior
The core lineups show a clear preference for BMWs in this market, but what about niche models and EVs?
Well, Audi managed to sell 2,238 Q4 e-trons, 883 Q4 Sportback e-trons, 6,962 Q6 e-trons, 615 Q8 e-trons, and 209 Q8 Sportback e-trons. Of these, BMW only has a direct rival to the Q8 e-tron which is the iX; 6,742 of these were sold, easily outselling the Q8 e-tron twins.
Audi’s A7 Sportback is one of the few models to increase sales in 2025, with 1,094 models sold, but BMW moved almost double the number of 8 Series variants over the same period (2,007). To be fair, the 8 Series lineup is broader, including two-door coupes and a convertible.
After trawling through all the numbers, we found only one Audi that sold more than a direct BMW rival, and that was the gas-powered Q8. 5,829 Q8s have been sold in 2025, compared to 4,703 X6s.
Aging Audi Lineup To Blame?
Models like the A4, A8, and Q7 are all older than their BMW equivalents, which helps explain why Audi is lagging so far behind its rival in the USA. The current A8 full-size sedan first arrived for the 2019 model year, for example, whereas the current 7 Series arrived for 2023.
Audi is also rejigging its lineup, with the trusty A4 being replaced by the new A5. This dropping of a consistent nameplate may be a bit confusing for buyers. The same can be said of Audi’s confusing naming structure for different powertrains/variants, making it difficult to distinguish one model from the next.
Audi is not standing still, though. New releases like the Q3, Q5, and A5 are either not yet on sale or have not yet realized their full sales potential. As things stand now, though, Audi is a long way off from stealing BMW’s luxury crown in America by the end of 2025.
Related: The All-New 2026 Audi Q3 Is Going To Make Q5 Buyers Jealous
