It’s the start of a new year and also the start of a new era for German performance marque Alpina, which has been made a standalone brand of the BMW Group, alongside BMW, BMW M, Mini, and Rolls-Royce. It completes a deal first announced in 2022, in which the rights to the Alpina name would pass to BMW on January 1, 2026.
Alpina is still not widely known, but for BMW diehards the brand is synonymous with performance, luxury, and craftsmanship. Based in the German state of Bavaria, the same as BMW, Alpina was founded in 1965 as a tuner of BMW cars, making it seven years older than even BMW’s own M division. However, the company’s limited capacity has meant its annual production hovered around a few thousand units per year, preventing it from becoming a household name. That’s now about to change.
Get Ready For More Alpinas
BMW Alpina LogoBMW
Under BMW, Alpina will operate as BMW Alpina. The original company will stick around, handling some vehicle development as well as the service, parts, and accessories side of the business.
However, BMW will now be able to use the Alpina name on vehicles it independently develops and manufactures. That doesn’t represent a huge change, as the two firms have enjoyed a close relationship for decades, with BMW directly selling Alpina models through its own dealerships in some markets, including the US. BMW has also built some Alpinas in the past, the most recent being the XB7 based on the X7 full-size SUV, built at the plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
BMW Alpina XB7 being assembledBMW
BMW said the new BMW Alpina vehicles will be manufactured to the same high standards as original Alpinas, especially when it comes to areas like materials and refinement. And the automaker is also promising a new and presumably vast portfolio of bespoke options, potentially providing BMW fans with increased personalization than what they may have previously experienced.
BMW hasn’t said when the first of the new BMW Alpinas will be rolled out. The automaker said the initial focus will be on building up the brand. However, we already have an idea of what they might be, as trademark filings from December 2025 point to a few models, including an Alpina XB8 – possibly a new luxury replacement for the BMW XM.
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More Attainable Alpinas Could Be Coming To US
Alpina GT ModelsAlpina
Alpina’s most recent models in the US have included the aforementioned XB7 as well as the B8 Gran Coupe based on the 8 Series Gran Coupe. Those are the top-end models, but in other markets Alpina has offered cars based on BMW vehicles from the 3 Series on up. With the extra production capacity BMW can deliver, these more attainable Alpinas could finally be offered to US buyers.
Hopefully, what won’t change will be Alpina’s signature styling cues, such as the multi-spoke wheels and subtle aerodynamic enhancements. This could also enable the M division to lean further into hardcore designs, leaving Alpina for buyers who appreciate understated performance. Responsible for the new BMW Alpina designs will be former Polestar design chief Maximilian Missoni, who was snagged by BMW last year to oversee the design of BMW’s large-car portfolio as well as BMW Alpina models.
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