100% electric platforms? No thank you. This is the position of BMW's new management, led by Oliver Zipse, its new CEO — whose term began in August 2019. it follows a path opposite to that of the two eternal German rivals: Audi and Mercedes-Benz.
For the new team that heads the Munich brand's destinations — and also for the old one — the reasons are clear: "In our opinion, market forecasts are too uncertain to justify investing in platforms that are not flexible", said Udo Haenle, BMW Executive to Automotive News Europe.
In addition to market uncertainty, brand executives point to another reason: costs . “A new plant would cost one billion euros, whereas increasing the facilities of existing plants to meet 100% electrical needs would be equivalent to something around the triple digits of millions of euros,” said Haenle.
These statements are a "profession of faith" to the brand's current strategy: one architecture for front-wheel drive cars and another for rear-wheel drive cars. A distinction that does not exist in 100% electric cars due to the greater freedom of placement of the engines.
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That said, Oliver Zipse and his team believe that the best response to the «state of the art» of the automotive industry, in the coming years, is to bet on integrated platforms that allow 100% electrical and electrified solutions (semi-hybrid, hybrid and plug-in hybrids).
Audi and Mercedes-Benz follow another strategy
Both Audi and Mercedes-Benz have an anti-BMW strategy. Audi is working on the PPE platform for larger models — shared with Porsche — and on more compact models it will use the MEB platform — shared with the other brands in the Volkswagen universe. On the Mercedes-Benz side, the bet is made through the EVA2 platform, which will be at the base of the EQS.
We remind you that BMW was the first German premium brand to bet on 100% electric platforms. Of which the BMW i3 was "the flagship".
For those responsible for BMW, this decision does not compromise the quality of the products that the brand will be able to offer in the future. It remains to be seen whether BMW's position is "future-proof".
The European Union continues to make the 'black life' for combustion engines. New European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in December that she plans to propose even more punitive emissions targets as early as 2030. The dreaded number 95 is just the beginning.