Thoughts from the Boardroom

thoughts from the

boardroom

The motor industry has never been one to rest on its laurels and as each generation of new models arrives it’s plain to see how improvements have been implemented and new technologies incorporated within those cars. It’s almost taken for granted that advances in safety, performance, economy and connectivity will be made but it’s the pace of change within the automotive sector, and BMW in particular, that makes me particularly proud.

In our fast-moving world you often don’t have time to think about such things but these thoughts were prompted by the sighting of an ActiveHybrid 5 while I was out and about at the weekend. No doubt you will remember that this was our first hybrid model in the UK and that it was part of the F10 generation of 5 Series. It combined the 535i’s turbocharged straight-six with a synchronous electric motor integrated into the housing of the automatic gearbox and a lithium-ion battery pack. Its focus wasn’t on all-out economy but rather on excellent performance with the ability to run on electricity alone for short periods while improving its overall efficiency.

It made its debut in 2011 and as diesel was still king back then it didn’t sell in large volumes but it was a vital part of our electrification process, giving our engineers crucial experience and insight into how future models could be designed and manufactured. But what I find so interesting is the speed with which our hybrid models have developed since then – this was only nine years Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW (UK) Ltd.

ago and now we have 10 different plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models in our line up with several more joining the range soon. The ActiveHybrid 5 could cover about two and a half miles in its electric only mode yet now vehicles such as the X5 xDrive45e have a pure electric range of up to 54 miles. That’s a huge improvement in just nine years.

One of the models in our PHEV range I’m particularly keen on sampling is the new 545e xDrive that will make its debut in 2021. Like the ActiveHybrid 5 the 545e xDrive will feature a turbocharged sixcylinder engine but the latest incarnation of our eDrive technology ensures it’s significantly more efficient yet offers scintillating acceleration. A zero to 62mph time of 4.7 seconds gives an ample indication of its performance potential yet it can cover around 34 miles on pure electric propulsion. Its official UK statistics are yet to be revealed so I’d better not let the cat out of the bag, but suffice to say it really will be a superb all-rounder. The motoring press have had outings in pre

production prototypes and I think Autocar summed it up rather well, commenting that the 545e xDrive offered an “enticing combination of performance, dynamics and refinement, all of which set new standards for plug-in hybrids in the class.”

It might have been only nine years since we launched our first hybrid car in the UK but the onward march of electrification is continuing unabated. Over half a million electrified BMWs had been sold by the end of 2019 and we expect to have sold over a million PHEVs or pure-electric BMW Group vehicles by the end of next year. By the end of 2023 we will have 25 electrified vehicles in our line-up and by 2030 we’re aiming to have sold seven million in total.

The pace with which the motoring landscape is changing is quite frenetic and if you’d asked me nine years ago I don’t think I’d have predicted the huge advances we have made in such a short space of time. I look forward to seeing how things develop over the next decade or so with great anticipation.