In an industry that sprints on electrified vehicles, BMW follows a cautious approach. While competitors strive to compensate for their entire product range with EVS and ICE models, BMW doubles the strategy of selecting performance by continuing to invest in internal internal combustion engines, together with electrified and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The message is clear and comes directly from above: “The combustion engine is our basis” Automotive week.
Far away from a nostalgic soundbite, Moltke’s statement reinforces the characteristic strategy of the car manufacturer – one that treats the shift in electrification as a transition and not as a final. BMW’s technical backbone was based on combustion technology and plans to keep this legacy alive as a new class EVS in a new era.
Gas and diesel still in the picture
While some competitors returned from early EV ambitions, BMW has consciously refused to determine a fixed expiry date for its petrol and diesel engines. According to Moltke, this reluctance is based in realism: “The internal combustion engine is financing our future business,” he said, referring to the continuous worldwide demand and the income that generates to finance new technologies.
Diesel in particular remains part of the plan – but in a cleaner, more sustainable form. BMW actively tests HVO100, a renewable fuel made of hydrothed vegetable oil that does not contain a fossil diesel. HVO100 able to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90%, also improves cold start performance. Some new BMW diesel vehicles are already pre-filled to dealers with the fuel, although broader availability outside the factory settings remains limited.
Double role of Steyr plans: inheritance and future
Steyr, Austria-Home for the largest engine from BMW-IT the epicenter of this two-pointed approach. In 2024, the facility produced around 1.2 million internal combustion engines. Now, as part of the new class of new class, it is building 600,000 electric drive units annually, starting with the BMW IX3 of the next generation later this year.
But this transition was not without fear. Moltke remembered a considerable discomfort before the decision of BMW 2022 to name Steyr as a global center for electrical drive trains: “There were definitely great unrest … We were very dependent on the internal combustion engine and the big question was whether and how things would go on.” This question has now been answered. He describes the mood today as “much more relaxed”, with the double mandate of the system up to at least 2030 job security.
BMW’s secret weapon: flexibility
What distinguishes BMW is of von Moltke, argued, his technological-tagnostic way of thinking. “It is indeed one of our strengths to be broad and flexible in one place,” he said. The employees are trained for working on ice and EV components, and the production lines are constructed in such a way that they can handle both. This adaptability enables BMW to change to another technology at the expense of another without shifting market demand.
The flexible philosophy of BMW also extends to his leadership. When asked whether he expects the European Union to enforce its proposed prohibition of new incineration motor vehicles in 2035, Moltke has not broken down any words: “It is not our job to make such assumptions. This is pointless. Our task is to take into account all possible scenarios, to prepare for each individual and to ensure our ability to deliver.”
The developing role of combustion
Nevertheless, BMW knows that it is not dependent on the combustion forever without further developing it. For this reason, it invests in compliance with its gas and diesel engines that correspond to the standards of Euro 7 and explore renewable fuels for long-term viability. Even adapting M power models: The new M5 uses a plug-in hybrid V8, and a new petrol-M3 with a rumored mild hybrid is already in development.
While BMW expects EVS to make up 50% of global sales by 2030, they are not there yet. In the first quarter of 2025, EVS accounted for almost 19% of deliveries. This means that combustion engines still draw a considerable weight – and probably years in the coming years.
[Source: Automobilwoche via Motor1]
