Recently reelected at the helm of BMW until 2026, Oliver Zipse was asked by CNBC whether there will be any changes in its operations in China. The inquiry came in the context of the European Union’s recently launched probe into subsidies for electric cars manufactured in China and exported to Europe. The 59-year-old executive made it crystal clear the luxury automaker has no intentions of leaving the country where it upped its stake in the BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture to 75% in early 2022.

 

 

Zipse explained that BMW is a global player that feels “at home in Europe. We are at home in China. We are at home in the U.S. We, of course, are at home here in Japan even more.” The company’s head honcho pointed out the importance of free trade all over the world, and that by being active in many regions, it’s able to diversify risks rather than being overly reliant on a single region.

The West Germany-born exec went on to mention free trade not only helps BMW grow as a business but also lowers its environmental footprint: “Only the free trade can really drive our effects on the climate down – with free trade, with technologies from all over the world, with free access to raw materials, and especially implementing them in all technologies.”

As a refresher, the BMW Group makes the iX3 exclusively in China and exports it to many countries around the world. In addition, it has established a separate joint venture with Great Wall Motor to build the new electric MINI Cooper 3-Door and the Aceman subcompact crossover in China from where the two EVs will be shipped globally. These two zero-emission MINIs are also going to be made in the UK, but not until 2026.

To get an idea of how important China is for BMW, the best-selling body style of the previous-generation 5 Series Sedan was the locally made Li. That might come as a big surprise considering the long-wheelbase sedan was not available in Europe or the United States. The 3 Series Li is also assembled in the People’s Republic where the company sells an electric i3 Sedan not available elsewhere.

Source: CNBC