Oliver Zipse joined BMW as a trainee in 1991 and later held several management positions. He was appointed CEO in August 2019 and his contract was later extended until 2026. Although the BMW supervisory board maintains an age limit of 60 for board members, it made an exception for Zipse, who will turn 62 in February.
As previously reported, Zipse will step down when his contract expires. BMW announced today that Milan Nedeljković will take the helm of the world’s best-selling luxury automaker next year. He will take over as CEO on May 14, one day after the annual general meeting, when Zipse steps down from the board.
Like his predecessor, Nedeljković started as a trainee at BMW in 1993. The 56-year-old later rose to senior management positions at the Oxford plant and served as managing director of the Leipzig and Munich plants. He also served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Quality. His contract runs until 2031, by which time he, like Zipse, will be over 60 years old.
The coming years will be extremely busy for BMW. Around 40 new or updated models are expected to come onto the market by the end of 2027. The range could then be expanded to include an i1 hatchback and an i2 sedan. There are also rumors of a large, rugged SUV with hybrid and electric variants.
Regardless of the powertrain, all future models will fall under the umbrella of the modern Neue Klasse. With the second generation iX3, Zipse has set the direction. The electric crossover will be followed next year by the 3 Series and i3 sedans. In 2026, BMW is also expected to unveil the next generation of the X5, a 7 Series facelift and possibly the first iX4.
Either at the end of Zipse’s term or at the beginning of Nedeljković’s term, ALPINA will usher in a new era within the BMW Group with the reintroduction of its interpretation of the 7 Series.
Source: BMW
