*This article is reproduced from the Autocarweekly public account.
Author: Joey
What is the secret of BMW’s success?
Is it the technology that is difficult to replicate? Is it the deep heritage endowed by time precipitation? Or is it people’s love for the excellent driving experience brought by BMW? Of course, these are all important, but more importantly, BMW’s ultimate pursuit of automotive technology and the courage to embrace every new era without being complacent.
A forward-looking vision and proactive embrace of change
Starting with the launch of the BMW IIIa inline six-cylinder aircraft engine in 1917 and the creation of the first model 303 in 1933; from the Isetta model that met the needs of the times in the 1950s to today’s restructuring of the product lineup and plans to launch the new Neue Klasse (New Generation) product series, this innovative and change-seeking mindset has continued to this day.
Obviously, only a forward-looking vision can see tomorrow and embrace tomorrow, which is the reason why BMW has been standing tall to this day. Now, the time for change has come again.
You know, the change I’m talking about is the wave of new energy and intelligent networking that has been advancing for several years, even more than a decade. Although in recent years, we have become accustomed to new forces such as Tesla, Nio, and XPeng dominating this field. However, once traditional car-making giants join this “battle group” with their own profound technological accumulation and system strength, the market pattern will undoubtedly change rapidly again.
Today, BMW, who has always grasped the accurate pulse of the times and been persistent in researching technology, has already joined this competition sequence belonging to the future.
BMW’s blueprint has already been deployed
As early as seven years ago in 2014, BMW brought two epoch-making new energy vehicle models, the i3 and i8, to our side. In the years that followed, BMW also steadily promoted the research and development of their new energy technology and the marketing and sales of new energy vehicle models. This year, these unremitting efforts have also reached a time node where they will bear fruit.
In the first half of this year’s domestic market sales, BMW took the first place with a score of 467,000 units, winning both sales and growth rates. Even in July and August, this first place has continued. Behind the continuous increase in product sales is BMW’s consistent pursuit of vehicle performance and successful attempts to explore new tracks, with the BMW iX3 ranking first among traditional automaker brand electric vehicles in the middle and high-end market in the first half of this year.
However, faced with faster changes of the times, the accelerated arrival of new energy and intelligent connected era, BMW wants to give itself an extra boost. Therefore, at the recently concluded Munich Motor Show, we saw BMW present a package of brand new electric vehicle plans to achieve the transformation of BMW’s entire product line.
BMW’s plan is not just limited to manufacturing 100% recyclable cars in the future, but also plans to launch 13 pure electric vehicle models worldwide in 2023. By 2025, BMW will launch the “New Class” series of models and officially enter a brand new stage of electrification. In the next decade, BMW plans to complete the delivery of approximately 10 million BMW group pure electric vehicles worldwide, ultimately making pure electric vehicle sales account for half of BMW Group’s global sales by 2030.
Obviously, this is the foresight and ambition that a luxury car brand with a mature history should possess.
BMW’s ambition is not just a plan, but has already come to us.
If you think BMW’s new plan will take time to be implemented, you may underestimate BMW’s execution. Just yesterday (September 29th), the BMW Group’s first national tour exhibition customized for the BMW i brand, the “Beyond Electric BMW i Inspiration Space,” which had previously been successfully held in Beijing, has now come to Shanghai.
In this “inspirational space,” everyone can immerse themselves in BMW’s future travel world created for everyone through the application of classic front grille diamond elements and artistic deformation on the exterior of the space, as well as the immersive experience space created by digital media inside.
More importantly, this space is not just a concept that BMW provides for everyone, but also showcases two important works of BMW’s new energy strategy – the innovative BMW iX and the innovative BMW i4.As the flagship of BMW Group’s innovation technology and the first pure electric four-door coupe of BMW Group, these two products adhere to the essence of the BMW i brand, but have different tasks and goals.
For example, the innovative BMW iX model brings together BMW Group’s latest development achievements in design, digital connectivity, and electrification. The model is equipped with BMW Operating System 8.0, an integrated floating curved screen, and has powerful connectivity and data processing capabilities. At the same time, the My Modes function can cleverly combine multiple vehicle parameters according to the driver’s needs, achieving a perfect combination of function and design.
At the same time, the innovative BMW i4 model, which was also exhibited with the BMW iX model, will continue to provide driving pleasure. The i4 can provide 400 kilowatts/544 horsepower and 795 Nm of peak torque. With such powerful performance data, the new car can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds, and the highest range on WLTP standard can reach 590 kilometers, solving the anxiety problem of pure electric vehicles on the basis of pursuing performance.
It is worth mentioning that while products are leading the way, BMW’s supporting services are also catching up. Through a number of charging service measures, BMW has truly opened up a worry-free charging travel experience for users. As of the end of July 2021, BMW Group has 529 dealerships that can provide BMW new energy products and services.
Through close cooperation with mainstream charging service operators, by the end of 2021, the number of BMW charging piles will reach 360,000, including 150,000 DC fast charging piles. By the end of 2021, dealership charging stations will expand to 350.
At the same time, BMW is accelerating the access to State Grid Electric Vehicle Company’s green power services. In the future, BMW new energy vehicle owners can use the My BMW APP to find green certified charging stations by State Grid Electric Vehicle Company, complete online reservations and payments, and enjoy convenient one-stop services. In addition, the BMW brand’s exclusive reserved parking charging service has been promoted to six airports in five major cities in China and more than ten popular shopping areas nationwide.
Technology + performance is not everything, environmental protection is equally important.Actually, BMW was the first automaker to propose a life cycle assessment of carbon emissions for its products. At BMW, each vehicle has specific carbon reduction targets throughout its design, supply chain, production, usage, and recycling stages for suppliers, production, and usage phases. Currently, BMW has integrated the circular economy concept into its new vehicles.
Taking the innovative BMW iX model as an example, rare earth materials are no longer used in the development and production of this model. Correspondingly, the proportion of recycled aluminum used in the vehicle’s body is continually increasing, while the proportion of cobalt raw materials in the battery cathode material can be reduced to below 10%.
Clearly, the appearance of the innovative BMW iX and BMW i4 is not only the debut of new products in the BMW Group but also an important carrier connecting the past and future of BMW. You can still see the inheritance of BMW’s M series models, which the brand relies on for survival and reputation for performance, and find evidence of the expansion of BMW’s electrification product line as well as the entry into the second stage of electrification transformation.
Under the leadership of these two models, many pure electric vehicle models such as the future pure electric BMW 5 series, BMW 7 series, BMW X1, etc. will be launched one after another.
If BMW was not eager to catch up with the new energy wave before, then the BMW Group, with its strong system strength and technological reserves, will officially join the leading group that leads the future development direction of the automotive industry after finding the right direction and clear position.
For BMW, a luxury brand that is constantly updating and progressing, choosing to actively seek change is like having an ace up its sleeve. Obviously, it also contains the determination of the BMW Group to win the initiative in future automotive competitions. This is the brand’s new “small goal” formulated in the era of new energy and intelligent networking, which already runs fast but still wants to run faster.
It’s quite exciting, isn’t it?
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.