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BMW's Motorcycle Division Profits Are Up While Its Automotive Side Readjusts

It's not quite the same situation as Honda, where the motorcycle division is carrying the pain felt by the automotive division. But it's still significant.

BMW R 1300 GS
Photo by: BMW

BMW Group just published its half-yearly report on June 30, 2026, and what's inside is quite interesting, particularly if you're following these businesses from a motorcycle and powersports perspective. Now, clearly, only some companies present analogous situations to BMW's; Honda immediately comes to mind, as does (to a lesser extent) Suzuki. 

Neither Japanese automaker is a perfect analogue, since BMW exists in a more luxury-oriented space than either Honda or Suzuki. But all three companies operate both motorcycle and automotive divisions that nest under a larger corporate umbrella. Add to that the fact that both BMW and Honda continue to sell both their automotive and their motorcycle products in the US, while Suzuki only sells its motorcycles here (but continues to sell both its automotive and motorcycle products elsewhere), and that's another way in which they differ.

Back to BMW, though. The 2026 Half-Yearly Report tells us how many units were sold both for Q2, as well as for H1 of 2026. How many motorcycles did BMW deliver? In Q2 alone, it recorded 60,112 motorcycle deliveries. For H1 of 2026, it delivered 102,847 total motorcycles worldwide. As compared to H1 of 2025, where it sold 105,909, that represents a modest drop of 2.9 percent year-on-year.

Over on the automotive side, BMW recorded a slightly larger drop in sales year-on-year. In H1 of 2025, it moved 1,207,594 units; meanwhile in H1 of 2026, it moved 1,156,727, which represents a 4.2 percent decline. 

But the profits column is where things really start to get interesting, especially when comparing H1 2026 results to H1 2025 results. Before taxes, BMW says its motorcycle segment generated 230 million Euros (about US $265,216,450 million at the time of writing) in profit, as compared to the 212 million Euros (about US $244,460,380) generated in H1 of 2025. That's an increase of 8.5 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, on the automotive side, H1 of 2026 saw the brand generate 1,974 million Euros in profit , which might sound great if you didn't know that H1 of 2025 saw it raise 3,626 million Euros in profit. That represents a precipitous drop of 45.6 percent year-on-year, which probably had to hurt for whoever calculated these figures to generate this report.

What do you think?

Mind you, BMW still sells millions of its four-wheeled vehicles worldwide; that's not in dispute. Furthermore, it still sells far more four-wheeled vehicles than it does motorcycles; and honestly, that will always be the case. More people drive than ride, and that's not likely to change any time soon.

Still, if you're looking at it from a growth perspective, BMW Motorrad showed signs of growth over what has admittedly been a challenging time for both the motorcycle and automotive industries. Furthermore, it shows once again (though not to the same degree as Honda recently did) that offering customers a mix of different vehicles to suit their specific needs and wants can pay off.

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