In an business sprinting towards electrified automobiles, BMW is taking a cautious strategy. Whereas rivals scramble to reshape their whole product lineups to steadiness out EVs and ICE fashions, BMW is doubling down on their Energy of Selection technique by persevering with to spend money on inner combustion engines, alongside electrified and hydrogen-powered automobiles. The message is obvious, and it comes straight from the highest: “The combustion engine is our basis,” stated Klaus von Moltke, Head of International Powertrain Manufacturing and Plant Supervisor at BMW’s Steyr engine plant, in a current interview with Automobilwoche.
Removed from a nostalgic soundbite, von Moltke’s assertion reinforces the automaker’s distinctive technique—one which treats the shift to electrification as a transition, not as an finish sport. BMW’s engineering spine was constructed on combustion expertise, and it plans to maintain that legacy alive at the same time as its Neue Klasse EVs usher in a brand new period.
Fuel and Diesel Nonetheless within the Image
Whereas some opponents have backpedaled from early EV-only ambitions, BMW has persistently refused to set a agency expiration date for its gasoline and diesel engines. That restraint, in accordance with von Moltke, is rooted in realism: “The combustion engine funds our future enterprise,” he stated, citing ongoing world demand and the income it generates to fund new applied sciences.
Diesel, specifically, stays a part of the plan—however in a cleaner, extra sustainable kind. BMW is actively testing HVO100, a renewable gas produced from hydrotreated vegetable oil that comprises no fossil diesel. Able to decreasing CO₂ emissions by as much as 90%, HVO100 additionally improves chilly begin efficiency. Some new BMW diesel automobiles are already delivered to sellers pre-filled with the gas, although broader availability stays restricted exterior manufacturing facility settings.
Steyr Plant’s Twin Function: Legacy and Future
Steyr, Austria—house to BMW’s largest engine plant—is the epicenter of this two-pronged strategy. In 2024, the plant produced roughly 1.2 million combustion engines. Now, it’s ramping as much as construct 600,000 electrical drive models yearly as a part of the Neue Klasse rollout, beginning with the next-generation BMW iX3 later this 12 months.
However this transition didn’t come with out anxiousness. Von Moltke recalled important unease earlier than BMW’s 2022 resolution to designate Steyr as a world hub for electrical powertrains: “There was positively nice unrest… We had been extremely depending on the combustion engine, and the massive query was whether or not and the way issues would proceed.” That query has now been answered. He describes the temper immediately as “considerably extra relaxed,” with the plant’s twin mandate offering job safety by way of not less than 2030.
BMW’s Secret Weapon: Flexibility
What units BMW aside, von Moltke argues, is its technology-agnostic mindset. “It’s certainly considered one of our strengths to be broadly and flexibly positioned at one location,” he stated. Staff are educated to work on each ICE and EV elements, and manufacturing traces are engineered to deal with each. This adaptability permits BMW to reply nimbly to shifting market demand with out overcommitting to at least one expertise on the expense of one other.
BMW’s versatile philosophy extends to its management too. When requested whether or not he expects the European Union to implement its proposed 2035 ban on new combustion engine automobiles, von Moltke didn’t mince phrases: “It’s not our job to make such assumptions; that’s pointless. Our job is to contemplate all doable eventualities, put together for every one, and guarantee our supply functionality.”
Combustion’s Evolving Function
Nonetheless, BMW is aware of it might probably’t depend on combustion eternally with out evolving it. That’s why it’s investing in making its fuel and diesel engines compliant with Euro 7 requirements and exploring renewable fuels for long-term viability. Even M efficiency fashions are adapting: the brand new M5 makes use of a plug-in hybrid V8, and a brand new gasoline-powered M3 with a rumored mild-hybrid is already in growth.
Whereas BMW expects EVs to make up 50% of world gross sales by 2030, they’re not there but. In Q1 2025, EVs accounted for just below 19% of deliveries. Meaning combustion engines are nonetheless pulling important weight—and sure will for years to return.
[Source: Automobilwoche via Motor1]
