In an trade sprinting towards electrified autos, BMW is taking a cautious method. Whereas rivals scramble to reshape their complete product lineups to stability out EVs and ICE fashions, BMW is doubling down on their Energy of Selection technique by persevering with to put money into inner combustion engines, alongside electrified and hydrogen-powered autos. The message is evident, and it comes straight from the highest: “The combustion engine is our basis,” mentioned Klaus von Moltke, Head of World Powertrain Manufacturing and Plant Supervisor at BMW’s Steyr engine plant, in a current interview with Automotive week.
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 recreation. BMW’s engineering spine was constructed on combustion expertise, and it plans to maintain that legacy alive at the same time as its New class EVS usher in a brand new period.
Gasoline and Diesel Nonetheless within the Image
Whereas some opponents have backpedaled from early EV-only ambitions, BMW has constantly refused to set a agency expiration date for its gasoline and diesel engines. That restraint, based on von Moltke, is rooted in realism: “The combustion engine funds our future enterprise,” he mentioned, 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 HVO100a renewable gasoline produced from hydrotreated vegetable oil that accommodates no fossil diesel. Able to decreasing CO? emissions by as much as 90%, HVO100 additionally improves chilly begin efficiency. Some new BMW diesel autos are already delivered to sellers pre-filled with the gasoline, although broader availability stays restricted outdoors manufacturing unit settings.
Steyr Plant’s Twin Function: Legacy and Future
Steyr, Austria—dwelling to BMW’s largest engine plant—is the epicenter of this two-pronged method. In 2024, the plant produced roughly 1.2 million combustion engines. Now, it’s ramping as much as construct 600,000 electrical drive items 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 nervousness. Von Moltke recalled important unease earlier than BMW’s 2022 determination to designate Steyr as a worldwide hub for electrical powertrains: “There was positively nice unrest… We had been extremely depending on the combustion engine, and the large query was whether or not and the way issues would proceed.” That query has now been answered. He describes the temper at this time as “considerably extra relaxed,” with the plant’s twin mandate offering job safety by a minimum of 2030.
BMW’s Secret Weapon: Flexibility
What units BMW aside, von Moltke argues, is its technology-agnostic mindset. “It’s certainly one in all our strengths to be broadly and flexibly positioned at one location,” he mentioned. Workers 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 autos, von Moltke didn’t mince phrases: “It’s not our job to make such assumptions; that’s pointless. Our job is to contemplate all attainable eventualities, put together for every one, and guarantee our supply functionality.”
Combustion’s Evolving Function
Nonetheless, BMW is aware of it will possibly’t depend on combustion eternally with out evolving it. That’s why it’s investing in making its gasoline 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 improvement.
Whereas BMW expects EVs to make up 50% of worldwide gross sales by 2030, they’re not there but. In Q1 2025, EVs accounted for just below 19% of deliveries. Which means combustion engines are nonetheless pulling important weight—and sure will for years to return.
(Supply: Automotive week through Engine)
