Not on his agenda, BMW’s CEO Oliver Zipse has made his feelings known that simply writing off combustion engines in favour of EVs is not feasible to replace the 1,4 billion vehicles currently in circulation.
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While many automakers are hastening to declare a cut-off date for the combustion engine, BMW is taking a more measured approach. The luxury brand contends that the demise of the internal combustion engine (ICE) should not be rushed, emphasizing the importance of offering people the freedom to choose from various powertrains. Speaking at the Rhine-Main Business Initiative in Frankfurt, CEO Oliver Zipse defended BMW’s decision to stick with “old-school” engines.
Related: Mercedes is Downsizing its ICEs but BMW M CEO Says No
Zipse, quoted by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), stated that the luxury brand doesn’t “want to write off the combustion engine.” The 59-year-old executive from West Germany explained that abstaining from setting an expiration date for the ICE does not reflect a lack of initiative but rather an openness to technology options. Zipse argued against talking down products that are still available and addressed the subject of synthetic fuels. This also comes after news of BMW M CEO stating that downsizing isn’t the way forward for the potent division of the automaker.
Highlighting that there are over one billion cars worldwide, Zipse stressed the underestimated importance of the existing fleet. According to automotive industry research firm Hedges & Company, there are approximately 1,4 billion cars globally. Zipse reasoned that replacing every existing ICE with an EV in a short timeframe is not feasible and manufacturing new electric cars is not environmentally friendly. Consequently, he believes “e-fuels are also important” to keep existing cars running without further harm to the environment.
BMW’s top leadership argued that if sales of new cars with combustion engines are banned, many people will keep their existing ICE vehicles for longer. The reasons include the higher cost of electric vehicles compared to gasoline/diesel counterparts and the insufficient readiness of charging infrastructure globally, as per various company officials. Despite this, BMW is not favoring combustion engines to the detriment of EVs. The company has set an objective for zero-emission vehicles to account for 15% of total deliveries this year. By the end of the decade, BMW projects that one in two cars it sells will not have an ICE.
In contrast, BMW’s main rivals have set more ambitious goals, with Mercedes aiming to go purely electric as early as 2030, Audi planning to launch only EVs from 2026 and ending ICE production in 2032, Jaguar going electric-only from 2025, and Volvo abandoning combustion engines in 2030, along with BMW Group’s MINI and Rolls-Royce.
Related: Manual Transmission Confirmed for 2024 BMW Z4
While BMW is downsizing, it still offers models powered by inline-six and V8 engines. Additionally, it remains one of the last luxury brands to offer a manual gearbox in models like the M2, M3, M4, and the upcoming Z4 M40i with a stick shift. The M division has committed to keeping the two large-displacement engines until at least 2030, although the V12 was discontinued last year with the M760i.
