Although it intends to continue producing combustion engines while they are in demand, BMW intends to reduce by 50% its traditional mechanics at the expense of electrified ones , with this process starting from 2021.
This decision was presented after BMW announced its financial results for 2019, the year in which the Bavarian brand saw its research and development spending rise by practically 12%.
To counteract the increase in expenses, BMW embarked on a significant cost-cutting plan — the German group wants to save 12 billion euros by the end of 2022 —, the intention to reduce the development time of new models by 1/3 also contributes to this reduction.
What mechanics will disappear?
With 25 electrified models being planned by 2023, of which 13 must be 100% electric models such as the iX3 or i4, there is not as much space as before for models with traditional mechanics, that is, purely combustion models - in 2025, expectations of BMW is that more than 30% of its total sales are electrified models.
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The full extent of BMW's plan is not known, but there is already some certainty. The first victims will be two Diesel units: the small 1.5 l three-cylinder, and in the diametrically opposite field, the four-cylinder, 400-hp in-line tetra-turbo colossus, used in the “50d” models — X5, X6, X7, Series 5, Series 7. Auto Motor und Sport advances that the latter will be out of catalog at the end of this year.
Although earlier statements have said the V12 at BMW would be to continue, it appears that the BMW M760Li's 6.6 l V12 also has a strong chance of being fate — will the Rolls-Royce 6.75 V12 do the same?
And the 4.4 twin-turbo V8 — M5, M6, X5 M, X6 M, M8 — also seems to be in question, with BMW saying that in its place could come an inline six-cylinder hybrid capable of matching the 600+ hp of V8 power as well as torque.
In addition, and according to CarScoops, BMW will also look for “potential ways to reduce its complexity”, that is, it will try to understand which models can be eliminated. However, this does not mean that the range will get smaller — the German brand plans to launch new models in segments “with a higher rate of return”.
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