Next vehicle generation
BMW’s “New Class”: Focus on 3-series electric cars
The future BMW platform “New Class” should – at least for the time being – concentrate on the 3 series (symbol image)
© dpa | Matthias Balk / Picture Alliance
With the future “New Class” platform, BMW wants to establish more electric cars. CEO Oliver Zipse has announced that the German carmaker wants to use the platform for the 3 Series. It is said to play a “crucial role” in increasing sales of electric vehicles.
The “New Class” is intended to raise electromobility at BMW to a new level in the future. The platform designed for e-drives with new batteries and new software should give the sales figures for e-cars a strong boost. After all, they should make battery cars as profitable as combustion engines are today. The new generation of vehicles is to be produced in the new BMW plant in Hungary from 2025.
According to a report by “Automotive News Europe”, CEO Oliver Zipse said that the “New Class” should initially focus on the 3 Series. “It doesn’t cover the lower segments up to the luxury segment,” Zipse said on Thursday during the company’s financial press conference for the first quarter.
The BMW CEO continued: “It represents a quantum leap in technology.” And the architecture will include the automaker’s next-generation electric powertrain “with more power, new cell chemistry and new cell formats.”
About a year ago, BMW announced that the “New Class” should not only affect electric models but also combustion vehicles. With regard to the start of production from 2025, however, Zipse said: “By this point in time, the market will have reached a size where it makes sense to only offer one powertrain in this architecture.” The change in strategy enables BMW to use combustion engines longer in larger models.
After the introduction of the 3 series, the Munich-based company plans to use the architecture for other electric models as well, as a BMW spokesman told the portal.
BMW: Electric cars are expected to account for half of sales in 2030
With the introduction of the “New Class”, BMW is aiming for an accelerated reduction in CO2 emissions. By 2030, the company wants to at least halve the CO2 emissions per vehicle and kilometer driven compared to 2019. In addition, the carmaker “committed” to a course to meet the 1.5 degree target. This is to be achieved primarily through a further switch to electromobility.
According to Ziske, BMW wants to sell two million electric cars by 2025. By 2030, all-electric vehicles are expected to account for half of its sales. BMW currently has eight purely electric cars on the market.
Sources: Automotive News EuropeBMW, with material from the dpa