The BMW Group has set an ambitious objective to put more than seven million electrified vehicles on the road by the end of the decade, with about two-thirds eschewing the combustion engine altogether. It appears the German automaker is eager to hit that target sooner as the company’s CEO Oliver Zipse revealed in an interview plans to further boost the production of EVs in the coming years.
Talking with regional German daily newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, BMW’s head honcho said the company will build an additional 250,000 electric cars between 2021 and 2023. He went on to say hybrids and pure EVs will account for approximately 20 percent of total sales by 2023 compared to the 8 percent today.
During the same interview, Oliver Zipse reiterated plans of introducing additional electric vehicles beyond the iX3 and iX SUVs, with zero-emissions versions of the X1, 5 Series, and 7 Series planned. In addition, the i4 is debuting next year in production guise as an electric equivalent of the 4 Series Gran Coupe.
Not only that, but the i3 will remain in production for the foreseeable future despite being a vehicle that came out way back in 2013. BMW says the little electric hatch still enjoys strong customer demand even though is the company’s oldest model in the lineup. For a while now, the i3 has been available exclusively as an EV as the REx variant with a two-cylinder, motorcycle-sourced gasoline engine that served as a range extender was discontinued.
Asked whether in 20 years from now BMW customers will all be driving electric SUVs, the 56-year-old executive said that’s not going to be the case. He admitted demand for coupes and cabriolets has taken a hit in recent years, but “many still swear by these cars.” In addition, he believes the 3 Series and 5 Series sedans remain at the core of the brand, much like the 4 Series Coupe.
[Source: Augsburger Allgemeine via Automotive News Europe]
