On December 16, 2021, BMW held the 2022 "New Year Online Annual Meeting", which described the company's Strategic Upgrade in China with the emotional theme of "Home in China": maintaining synergy between the corporate strategy and China's development goals, adhering to the "China First" principle, giving priority to the needs of the Chinese market in new product development, and continuously strengthening the co-creation and win-win situation with Chinese partners.
There are different digital layouts in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Nanjing, etc
It is understood that the BMW Group has built the largest R&D and digital system outside Germany in China, with a team of more than 1,650 people, including about 600 software developers.
At the level of innovation and research and development, the layout is perfect, and the earliest Beijing R&D center is mainly responsible for vehicle engineering, testing and certification. In 2019, BMW also established Lingyue Digital in Beijing to focus on creating seamless customer digital journeys. At present, the My BMW App, jointly developed by Lingyue and BMW's R&D department, has attracted 3.4 million registered users, of which more than 1.4 million are monthly active users.
The Shanghai R&D center focuses on digital products, software development and connections to the local digital ecosystem and innovation community, while the BMW Group DesignWorks design team in Shanghai is also a subtle understanding of the aesthetics and needs of the younger generation of customers.
The Shenyang R&D center focuses on the development of local electric vehicles and the research and development of domestic models after mass production. In the field of production, BMW Brilliance's digital factory is a model for the application of "Industry 4.0" technology, and next-generation production technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence are widely used, taking the lead in achieving full coverage of 5G networks in the world.
In 2021, BMW's innovative layout will be expanded to Nanjing. First of all, the joint venture established BMW ArcherMind Information Technology Co., Ltd., using China's local software power to deepen in-vehicle software development; in addition, BMW Group has also actively explored cooperation with Chinese technology companies, and has signed contracts with more than 80 Chinese companies focusing on the digital content of vehicles and machines.
Continue to implement the "China First" strategy and accelerate the process of electrification
"In 2022, the BMW Group will open three new or upgraded plants in Shenyang and Zhangjiagang, and put into production the second BMW pure electric vehicle in Shenyang, the Pure Electric 3 Series, further enhancing China's position as one of the bmw group's three major new energy vehicle production bases in the world." According to Dr. Peter, Global Finance Director of the BMW Group, China's movement will lead the world. With an ideal environment and excellent partner to promote transformation in China, the BMW Group will firmly walk with China. ”
(Dr. Peter, Director of Global Finance, BMW Group)
Dr Peter went on to say that "China First" means maintaining strategic synergy with the world while maintaining sufficient independence to respond quickly to market changes, especially at the product concept stage, taking into account the expectations of Chinese customers. BMW's success in the field of fuel vehicles has confirmed this idea, and it will continue to deepen the "China first" strategy in the process of electrification.
First, accelerate the pace of electrification in China: in 2021, the BMW iX3 is expected to sell 20,000 units in its first full sales year. In 2022, the BMW brand will present five pure electric models to Chinese users, including the innovative BMW iX, the innovative BMW i4, and the pure electric BMW 3 Series produced in Shenyang. In addition, a pure electric flagship model will also be unveiled in the next year. By the end of 2023, the BMW Group will offer around 13 pure electric products in the Chinese market.
At the same time, we will strengthen the partnership with domestic outstanding battery companies, energy companies and high-tech enterprises, jointly develop the upstream and downstream industrial chain of green electric mobility, and enhance our comprehensive strength in electric vehicle research and development, production and service. In 2017, the joint venture BMW Brilliance was the first to establish a power battery center among high-end car brands, and completed the second phase of the project in 2020, with a total production of more than 100,000 power batteries so far. By the end of 2021, 360,000 public charging piles will be networked by BMW.
In addition, we will continue to promote the upgrading of the national sales and service network. More than 500 of BMW's approximately 600 dealer outlets across the country have completed BMW i business certification. In 2022, BMW will work with dealers to pilot the "BMW i Experience Store" in the city center, echoing the growing demand for new energy and new experiences from Chinese consumers.
2025 will be an important node in BMW's strategic transformation. At that time, the BMW Group will unveil a "new generation" of models with a completely redesigned IT and software architecture, a new generation of high-performance electric drive systems and batteries, and a new sustainable concept throughout the entire vehicle life cycle. In the development of the "new generation", the specific needs of the Chinese market will still be placed in the first place. By 2025, a quarter of the BMW Group's sales in the Chinese market will be pure electric vehicles.