{"id":84095,"date":"2025-11-03T10:19:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84095"},"modified":"2025-11-03T10:19:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:19:58","slug":"bmw-why-america-gets-m5-touring-but-no-m3-touring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=84095","title":{"rendered":"BMW Explains Why America Gets The M5 Touring But Not The M3 Touring"},"content":{"rendered":"

The saga regarding whether BMW would bring the M3 Touring to America is long over. Officially, the G81 will never be sold in the United States. But why is that? BMWBLOG<\/em> spoke with M boss Frank van Meel at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show about the forbidden fruit. Essentially, it all came down to deciding which model would make the stronger first impression: G81 or G99?<\/p>\n

BMW had previously built an M5 Touring, but the V10-powered E61<\/a> was never sold in the U.S. Consequently, either the G81 or the G99 would have been the first M wagon to get a U.S. visa. The latter was deemed the better candidate thanks to its V8 engine and footprint. Americans tend to prefer bigger cars with large-displacement engines, so the M5 Touring was seen as the safer bet.<\/p>\n

Van Meel told BMWBLOG<\/em> that choosing the M5 Touring was \u201cthe logical decision to make at the time.\u201d In other words, Munich\u2019s higher-ups expected the G99<\/a> to sell better than the G81. Bringing both wagons wasn\u2019t part of the plan: \u201cThere\u2019s only one chance for a first impression, so we took a safe bet.\u201d<\/p>\n

In hindsight, BMW realizes it might have been smart to sell the M3 Touring<\/a> in the U.S. The M division boss admitted they were \u201cnot brave enough\u201d to greenlight the G81 for America because they had \u201csecond thoughts\u201d about its potential success.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, a slow-selling M3 wagon would\u2019ve doomed the M5 Touring\u2019s chances in the U.S. BMW would have been reluctant to approve another long-roof M if the smaller wagon had underperformed. Rivals Mercedes and Audi have also avoided this niche in the U.S. by keeping the AMG C63 Estate and RS4 Avant out of the market. The M3 Touring might have filled that void, but it\u2019s too late now.<\/p>\n

Of all the M cars currently on sale, the Touring models\u2019 success has surprised BMW the most. The company didn\u2019t expect the body style to be this popular, especially in the M5 G99\u2019s case. It initially projected a 70:30 production split in favor of the sedan over the entire life cycle. However, it has since adjusted output to a 50:50 ratio to meet stronger-than-expected demand for the wagon.<\/p>\n