BMW Stays Loyal to Combustion Engines

CEO Oliver Zipse Condemns Criticism of Offered Products

Many automakers are in a rush to announce the end of combustion engines, but BMW isn’t one of them. At a presentation at the Rhine-Main Business Initiative in Frankfurt, CEO Oliver Zipse defended the company’s stance of continuing with “old-school” engines. Zipse said that BMW is not in a hurry to abandon combustion engines and that the company is focused on developing more efficient and sustainable solutions. He noted that the company is working to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency by investing in electric and hybrid vehicles. Zipse added that BMW is committed to creating a sustainable future and that the company will continue to develop technology that meets their goals. He concluded by saying that BMW will continue to use combustion engines until they can be replaced with something more efficient and sustainable.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) has quoted BMW’s CEO as saying that the luxury car maker does not “want to write off the combustion engine.” The 59-year-old executive further clarified that this stance does not reflect any inertia on the part of the company: “Openness to technology is not a backlog of decisions.” He went on to explain that BMW is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry and is open to embracing the newest technologies.

Zipse believes that, due to this huge number, it is wrong to “talk down products that are still on offer,” and he also discussed the potential of synthetic fuels.According to BMW CEO Oliver Zipse, the importance of existing gas vehicles is often underestimated in light of the fact that there are over a billion cars in the world. He stated that it is wrong to “talk down products that are still on offer,” and furthermore, he touched on the subject of synthetic fuels. Hedges & Company, an automotive industry research firm, estimates that there are approximately 1.4 billion cars spread across the world. Zipse believes that, given this immense number, it is wrong to “talk down products that are still on offer,” and he further explored the possibility of synthetic fuels.

“Replacing all Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) with Electric Vehicles (EVs) in a short amount of time is not practical, and creating a new electric car isn’t necessarily eco-friendly either,” said the CEO. “Therefore, e-fuels are also important for us to continue running our vehicles without damaging the environment.” Toyota, a partner of BMW in the development of hydrogen technology, believes that hydrogen can be the savior of the ICE.

The executives of BMW contended that if the sale of new vehicles with gasoline/diesel engines is proscribed, there would be a great many individuals who might tend to continue possessing their current ICE motors for longer. This is primarily owing to electric cars still costing more than traditional fuel cars in many cases, rendering them too expensive for many people around the globe. What’s more, numerous company reps have likewise stated that existing infrastructure is not currently ready to meet the demands of a rapid increase in EV adoption everywhere.

Far from favoring conventional combustion engines, BMW has set an ambitious target this year for zero-emission vehicles to comprise 15% of all sales. Furthermore, by the end of the decade, the Bavarian carmaker anticipates one out of every two cars it will sell to be electric.

BMW’s competitors have set higher ambitions. Mercedes has stated that they plan to be completely electric by 2030 “where market conditions allow.” Audi is only launching EVs from 2026 and ending production of internal combustion engines in 2032. Jaguar will become electric-only from 2025, and Volvo is aiming to completely abandon combustion engines by 2030, the same year that MINI and Rolls-Royce of the BMW Group will make the switch.

Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung