BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is not giving up on internal combustion engines just yet. Electric vehicles may be the rage now in the auto industry, but Zipse warns that the world is not ready for the total abandonment of combustion engines.
(Photo : CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is not giving up on internal combustion engines just yet. Electric vehicles may be the rage in the auto industry, with carmakers ramping up their electrification plans, but Zipse warned that the world is not ready for the total abandonment of combustion engines.
Unlike its other rivals in the car industry, BMW has not committed to a specific date for discontinuing internal combustion engines. Zipse once again lent his support for these gas-guzzling engines during a recent interview with German publication Automobilwoche, saying that ditching them too soon won't even positively impact the environment.
Zipse said that the largest market segment in absolute terms in Germany, Europe, and the entire world is the combustion engine. Zipse argued that auto companies need to know what they are doing before switching off technology like this within the next eight to 10 years.
BMW working on the new generation of combustion engines
Zipse said, "It would be harmful to simply give up a technology in which you have a global market position without need." Zipse closed his argument by saying that the sudden move to electrification would not help the climate or anyone else.
BMW shares Zipse's vision in that regard with the German automaker currently working on an entirely new generation of internal combustion engines, including diesel and petrol six- and eight-cylinder powertrains. BMW claimed these new engines would be more efficient than the ones they would replace.
BMW development director Frank Weber told Auto Motor und Sport that the car manufacturer needs state-of-the-art combustion engines for the next few years to effectively slash CO2 emissions in the passenger car sector globally.
Weber added that with the new six-cylinder engine alone, BMW is reducing CO2 emissions more massively than a generation change. He explained that the new generation of engines they are developing now would have "something completely new in the cylinder head." What that is remains a mystery, but Weber believes their progress in reducing CO2 emissions will be crucial in the fight against climate change.
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BMW also investing heavily in electric vehicles
BMW remains steadfast in its belief that customers should have the option to choose between electric and combustion vehicles. Weber said in the interview that BMW aims to always "offer the most sustainable and innovative vehicles, regardless of the type of drive."
That said, BMW is also investing heavily in electric vehicles, with the German firm developing an all-new electric-centric platform called Neue Klasse. The Neue Klasse platform, which is Phase 3 of the company's electrification strategy, will underpin BMW's new models with intricate designs and electrified powertrains. It has a new level of sustainability and includes new software architecture.
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