German manufacturer BMW will continue to produce internal combustion-engined vehicles, as while a future 3 Series model will be all-electric on the Neue Klasse platform, internal combustion and hybrid-electric versions will continue to be made available, reported Autocar.
The carmaker will continue to produce its native rear-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive platforms, as well as all powertrain options, in addition to the Neue Klasse architecture that will underpin its fully electric models, according to BMW head of product and brand management Bernd Körber.
“What plays out at the moment is our own strategy. For us, it was always clear that development will be very volatile because it’s dependent on regulation and customer needs,” Körber said. The carmaker is into a ‘technology-flexible’ approach, and that is the reason for its plan to build all drivetrains on one production line, he said.
“If a market shifts in one direction, we don’t have to close a plant or reduce a shift. We just shift to another drivetrain,” he added. Combustion-engined and the related hybrid versions of the next 3 Series will also wear the Neue Klasse look, albeit on an updated version of the current ICE-based platform.
This scenario is similar to that of BMW Group brand MINI, where the latest MINI Cooper line is comprised of a battery-electric model made in China on a specific EV architecture, while the petrol-powered versions are built in Oxford, England on a traditional platform for ICE powertrains.
The remarks by Körber echo that of BMW Group board member for development Klaus Froelich, who said in 2019 that BMW expects internal combustion engines to survive for at least another 30 years.
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The old target 2025 is too ambitious. 2030 conversion to all EV is more likely.. but I would expect hybrid and phev to be around longer