With all the hype around Neue Klasse and BMW’s rising electric car sales, it’s easy to get carried away. However, the numbers don’t lie—the combustion engine still dominates. Of the 2,200,177 cars the company sold last year, only 368,523 did away with the gasoline or diesel engine. The remaining 1.83 million were either pure ICE or plug-in hybrids.
With that in mind, the German luxury brand is aware that combustion engines are still necessary. BMW board member Jochen Goller told The Financial Times the company will continue to invest in ICE technology since the transition to EVs represents a long and bumpy road. In an interview in Munich, the man responsible for Customer, Brands, and Sales declared:
“I think it would be naive to believe that the move towards electrification is a one-way road. It will be a rollercoaster ride. This is why we are investing in our combustion engines. We are investing in modern plug-in hybrids. And we will continue rolling out electric cars.”
Goller added that BMW learned early on that people don’t want their options limited by their preferred powertrain. The company’s “Power of Choice” slogan refers to offering various drivetrains for the same car. Models such as the X1 and 5 Series can be had with gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, or purely electric power.
While the mighty V12 has been dead for several years, the V8 isn’t going anywhere. According to R&D boss Frank Weber, customers from the United States and the Middle East don’t want to downsize to an inline-six. Consequently, our reporting about the next X5, X6, and X7 keeping eight-cylinder engines is even more substantial.
Although the emphasis is on gasoline engines, we learned this week that BMW isn’t giving up on diesel. Despite dwindling demand in Europe, this type of powertrain is still generating enough demand to warrant the efforts, says Weber. The Bavarian brand intends to keep diesel in the foreseeable future, although stricter emissions regulations will likely force BMW to simplify its offerings.
Source: The Financial Times (subscription required)