Features / 12 September 2024 / Michael Taylor

Every new BMW launching in South Africa before 2025

BMW has a jam-packed few months ahead of it, as it plans to launch no less than 10 different cars in South Africa before the year is out.

The German carmaker has kept relatively quiet for most of 2024, with the new X2 and 5 Series being the biggest standouts up till this point.

It also quietly added the M35i flagship for the X1 at the start of the month, but things are about to get a whole lot busier with additions to its 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-badged collections.

Starting with the units coming out before the end of the third quarter, we have the 4 Series and its high-performance counterpart, the M4.

The pricing for both of these models has already been announced; the 4 Series will start at R1,016,063 while the M4 goes for R2,238,002.

There’s actually a third model for this line-up, too, as BMW has decided to allocate 25 units of the limited-edition M4 CS to South Africa, though this will only arrive in the final quarter with a sticker of R3,050,000.

Every other car from the blue-and-white badge will be landing in the final quarter of 2024, starting with the automaker’s most affordable option – the next-gen 1 Series.

The 1 Series will have two units at launch, including the M135 hot hatch, and will set the price-to-entry to BMW ownership in South Africa with a required payment of R713,395.

Moving up the ranks, we have the new 2 Series and M2, the latter of which comes as a surprise, given that the current M2 was only introduced in mid-2023.

Consequently, the changes to the M2 appear to be relatively minor with a small uptick in power, while the 2 Series Coupe will have access to five different engines.

The cost of both of these units is still unknown, but expect the M2 to set the benchmark for BMW’s M division going forward.

Next is the evergreen 3 Series, which is getting its second update in as many years, illustrating how important the model is to the carmaker’s fanbase.

If the 3 Series isn’t exciting enough for you, there’s the iconic M3, which is breaking new ground in South Africa with the insertion of a new Touring (Estate) body type for those who want something a bit more practical.

The M3 Touring will start at R2,218,506, though the margin for the regular 3 Series and M3 Sedan has yet to be disclosed.

The final performance model for our market is the R2,690,000 M5, which is showing up late to the party given the 5 Series arrived in February.

The last and arguably most intriguing vehicle that South Africa will get its hands on this year is the next-gen X3, which is a big deal considering that it is locally made at BMW’s Rosslyn Plant in Gauteng.

The company recently shut down the production line for the outgoing generation, meaning that the factory is making the final preparations for the new X3 which will go on sale locally and in several other markets around the world.