Photo: BMW
Despite the EU proposing an effective ban on internal combustion engine cars from 2035 in a bid to fight global warming, BMW will be ready for a fully electric transition even sooner, according to company CEO Oliver Zipse.
Zipse says that BMW is working with the assumption that fossil-fuel cars will be banned as soon as 2030, which is why they have already begun rolling out fully electric models, aimed at multiple segments and price ranges.
“We will be ICE-ban ready. If a region, a city, a country gets the idea of banning ICEs, we have an offering,” said the chief exec during a conference near Stuttgart. “The BMW Group is not worried about this. Whether it’s a good idea is another question... but we will have an offering,” he concluded.
This is interesting because unlike rivals such as the VW Group and General Motors, BMW has yet to set an end date for the production of its internal combustion engine cars. It does however expect 50% of all global car sales to be EVs by 2030, as reported by Autonews Europe.
BMW’s current EV range includes the i3, iX3, i4 and the iX flagship SUV, with availability depending on market. In the U.S. you can only get the i3 at the moment, with the i4 and iX set to hit dealerships soon. We also know to expect battery-powered versions of the 7 Series and the X1 crossover as soon as next year, while an electric 5 Series and Mini Countryman are expected to launch in 2023.
The German brand also has a wide range of plug-in hybrid models, especially for Europe. The only PHEVs you can get in the U.S. are the 330e sedan, 530e sedan, 745e sedan and the X5 xDrive45e. European buyers also have access to the 225xe Active Tourer, 330e Touring, 530e Touring, X1 xDrive25e, X2 xDrive25e and the X3 xDrive30e.
“We will be ICE-ban ready. If a region, a city, a country gets the idea of banning ICEs, we have an offering,” said the chief exec during a conference near Stuttgart. “The BMW Group is not worried about this. Whether it’s a good idea is another question... but we will have an offering,” he concluded.
This is interesting because unlike rivals such as the VW Group and General Motors, BMW has yet to set an end date for the production of its internal combustion engine cars. It does however expect 50% of all global car sales to be EVs by 2030, as reported by Autonews Europe.
BMW’s current EV range includes the i3, iX3, i4 and the iX flagship SUV, with availability depending on market. In the U.S. you can only get the i3 at the moment, with the i4 and iX set to hit dealerships soon. We also know to expect battery-powered versions of the 7 Series and the X1 crossover as soon as next year, while an electric 5 Series and Mini Countryman are expected to launch in 2023.
The German brand also has a wide range of plug-in hybrid models, especially for Europe. The only PHEVs you can get in the U.S. are the 330e sedan, 530e sedan, 745e sedan and the X5 xDrive45e. European buyers also have access to the 225xe Active Tourer, 330e Touring, 530e Touring, X1 xDrive25e, X2 xDrive25e and the X3 xDrive30e.
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