In the two or three years of the outbreak of new energy vehicles, electrification is maturing, and the intelligence that represents the future and luxury has become the object of competition among car companies. This means that in the future, whoever is at the forefront of the intelligent competition will hold the ticket to the luxury brand.
Nowadays, traditional car companies, new car-making forces, and technology companies are all vying to enter the game, trying to overtake by relying on intelligent corners to create the image of luxury brands. However, this is not easy to say, in the fierce competition, intelligence has inevitably fallen into a homogenization situation, which is obviously contrary to the uniqueness of luxury.
However, this is already familiar to brands with their own luxury qualities. As the leader of the luxury car camp, BMW has shown its thinking about intelligence and luxury.
At the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show, the BMW Group's two major brands, BMW and MINI, will debut a full lineup of 15 car series, including fuel, pure electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen power, covering almost all luxury market segments.
At the same time, the BMW Group also showed its killer features, showcasing a number of blockbuster new products, including the world premiere of the new pure electric BMW i4, the new BMW 4 Series Coupe, the convertible coupe, and the new BMW M4, demonstrating BMW's current foothold and forge ahead, and the new electric MINI Aceman world premiere and the new electric MINI The debut of the Cooper in China unveiled a new future for the personalized brand, and the debut of BMW's next-generation concept car in China laid the foundation for BMW's identity: very futuristic, more BMW......
This is not only an interpretation of BMW's open and inclusive brand philosophy, but also a new leap forward in its brand history.
Luxury, you need an all-round player
In the past two years, the automobile market has changed dramatically, especially the market for luxury brands. Mid-range brands want to use new energy to get into the luxury market, while luxury brands are fighting back. Among them, the major luxury brands have taken on different faces, with some of the markets shrinking rapidly and others still strong.
There are many reasons for this, but the main one is the difference in brand strength. "When the tide goes out, you don't know who's swimming naked. "When the auto market is vibrant, some luxury brands can still rely on the brand power of the past to maintain the appearance of decency, otherwise, it is getting worse. And the truly powerful luxury brands, whether in peace or crisis, can be calm and calm.
Obviously, BMW has proven its strength with strong performance. According to the data, in 2023, the BMW Group's cumulative global sales will be 2.554 million units, of which more than 375,000 units will be pure electric models, a year-on-year increase of 74.2%. In the Chinese market, the BMW Group also achieved remarkable results, delivering more than 820,000 BMW and MINI vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%, of which BMW's annual sales of pure electric models were close to 100,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 138%.
Being prepared for danger in times of peace and seizing the trend of the times is the secret of BMW's success. On the one hand, it is the accumulation of its technical strength in fuel, and on the other hand, it is its stable layout in electrification and intelligence.
At the Beijing Auto Show, the two major brands of the BMW Group brought 15 major car series. Among them, the BMW X family, represented by the new BMW X5, is one of the pillars of the BMW brand, accounting for nearly half of BMW's sales in the Chinese market. The large and medium-sized luxury market represented by the BMW 7 Series, 5 Series and 3 Series is one of the core markets that BMW attaches the most importance to, and at the same time, BMW is also a clear leader in this field. It is not difficult to see that BMW's ability to achieve such strong results is closely related to the quality of the brand's all-round excellent players.
In addition to the above-mentioned models, BMW also brought six new models at the Beijing Motor Show: the newly released all-electric BMW i4, the newly launched new BMW 4 Series Coupe, Convertible Coupe and the new BMW M4, the world premiere of the all-new electric MINI Aceman, and the new electric MINI Cooper for the first time in China.
At this auto show, the new all-electric BMW i4 is the world premiere. As the first all-electric four-door coupe of the BMW brand, the BMW i4 inherits the BMW brand's sports genes, and the upgraded BMW kidney grille and other exterior designs perfectly integrate the iconic coupe aesthetics with "pure driving fun". In 2023, the BMW i4 will sell more than 80,000 units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling luxury electric models, and with the complete refresh of the BMW i4, it will continue its sales legend.
The new BMW 4 Series Coupe and Convertible Coupe have been refreshed, and a number of luxury features such as laser taillights, two new paints in York Point Green and Flame Red, and M carbon fiber interior trim strips have been applied to the BMW 4 Series for the first time.
The all-new BMW M4 features the new Angel Eye headlights, and the new BMW M4 is equipped with the latest generation of the BMW operating system, the optimized M-exclusive operator interface, and the M-Elite driving mode, which is unique to the M model, bringing the driving experience into an increasingly intelligent digital future.
MINI also welcomed two electric members – the all-new electric MINI Aceman and the all-new electric MINI Cooper. Among them, the all-new electric MINI Aceman is MINI's first pure electric crossover model and completed its world debut, and the all-new electric MINI Cooper was also officially unveiled in the Chinese market.
These two new cars not only inherit the iconic design of the classic MINI, but also integrate more new connotations into the MINI brand DNA through digitalization and electrification. The arrival of the new car also announced that MINI, an independent brand, has officially entered a new era.
In 2024, BMW will continue to launch more than 20 new BMW and MINI brand models, including the above six models, to further meet the different needs of consumers.
New generation, new era
In the era of electrification, digitalization and intelligence are important factors to attract consumers. Therefore, while basing itself on the present, BMW is also thinking about the future development path.
"BMW never stops innovating and constantly optimizing its drive technologies, not only to protect the environment, but also to ensure that the diverse needs of our customers are met. "With the new generation of models, we want to demonstrate the system implementation of the three core areas of the automotive industry in the future – electrification, a clear focus on sustainability and full digitalization," said BMW Group Chairman Philip Zipzer. This also means that BMW will fully enter the future in three dimensions: design, technology and concept.
The new-generation concept car, which BMW sees as "a leap forward in brand and product direction", will be different from its predecessors.
The concept car further highlights the core characteristics of the future BMW: electrification, digitalization, and circular sustainability, while strengthening the BMW brand's sportiness and luxury, and defining the future of intelligent luxury personal mobility.
Specifically, in terms of human-computer interaction, the new generation model will be equipped with the first-of-its-kind BMW panoramic vision bridge, which is a quantum leap in head-up display technology. BMW will continue to deepen its core concept of "driver-oriented". Important information is displayed at the bottom of the windshield with brighter light and contrast, so that the road is in the driver's line of sight. At the same time, the central display creatively uses irregular shapes and is optimised in conjunction with the driver's line of sight to ensure that the screen presents the best possible view to the driver.
The sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology will use cylindrical battery cells, increasing energy density by more than 20%, vehicle efficiency by 25%, cruising range by 30%, and charging technology voltage platform to 800 volts.
In terms of handling experience, the new generation model will adopt a new electronic and electrical architecture, an advanced "domain control" design, and an intelligent center composed of four "super brains" to create BMW's unique intelligent luxury travel experience.
The new-generation model will also be equipped with a new generation of autonomous driving assistance technology. At present, the BMW China R&D team has begun to carry out local R&D and testing of L2+ and L3 autonomous driving. According to the news, in December 2023, BMW's L3 autonomous driving vehicle has officially obtained the domestic high-speed autonomous driving test license.
It is worth mentioning that the new generation of BMW models, which will be domestically produced in the future, will also incorporate more design elements with Chinese characteristics. It is understood that BMW's R&D and design teams in China are deeply involved in many key tasks of BMW's new-generation models, and the innovations in the Chinese market will be reflected in the new-generation models.
According to BMW's official disclosure, the first mass-produced BMW new-generation model will be launched in 2025 and put into production in Shenyang in 2026. In the 24 months following the start of production of the first model, at least six new-generation models will be introduced to the market.
"BMW's next-generation models combine the core innovations of the three areas of future mobility. The 'New Generation' is more than just a car, it represents the beginning of a new generation of BMW's product range. Based on the confidence of the product, Zipzer said that the BMW Group has delivered more than 1 million pure electric models worldwide, and expects to achieve the goal of more than 50% of electric vehicle sales by 2030.
Summary: BMW's path to electrification is now clearer, and it has already achieved more than 1 million BEVs. In the first quarter of this year, the BMW Group's (including BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce) electric vehicle sales continued to grow rapidly, with its pure electric vehicle sales reaching 82,700 units, a year-on-year increase of 28%, and its share of the group's total sales has increased to 13.9%.
At the BMW Group Night on April 24, Zipzer quoted the phrase "learn from the past" in the Analects. Throughout its 100-year history, BMW has been in the Chinese market for 30 years, and every time it is renewed, this idea runs through.
This time, BMW is also living up to this principle. Despite the changing market environment, the BMW Group remains open, inclusive, and continues to make great strides towards electric, smart and sustainable luxury.