Four years later, the Beijing Auto Show returned, highlighting the strength of technology and R&D. After experiencing the rapid growth of new energy, intelligent networking will become the next stage of development of automobiles.
Whether it is a domestic brand or a joint venture brand, they are all riding the wind and waves in the wave of intelligence, and they have shown their magic in this automobile revolution.
As a BMW that has been rooted in China for 20 years, it is also deeply aware of the importance of integration with China's automotive industry, especially in this transformation to electrification, intelligence and sustainable development, BMW has a closer relationship with the Chinese market, which has the expectations of users, as well as the interdependence and complementary advantages for the future development of the automotive industry.
During the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, BMW announced that it plans to increase its investment in the Shenyang production base by 20 billion yuan, focusing on the large-scale upgrade and technological innovation of the Shenyang Dadong plant, laying the foundation for the local production of BMW's "new generation" models in 2026.
The new-generation concept car also showcased a number of new technologies from BMW, which also proved BMW's determination to adhere to self-development, inclusiveness, and fully integrate into the ecology of China's auto industry. In other words, BMW is building its own new "smart" productivity. As the new generation approaches China, BMW's layout in intelligence and localization in China has also surfaced.
Intelligence: safety first, innovation people-oriented
Intelligence can be said to be an important part of the tide of new energy vehicles. In particular, the intelligent trend represented by high-end intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit is becoming an important strategic deployment of BMW.
(Dr. Lei Kai, Senior Vice President of R&D, BMW China)
Although BMW has obtained the road license for Level 3 intelligent driving in Europe, BMW is very cautious about the promotion of this feature. With safety and reliability as the bottom line, the design concept of "being able to use and daring to use, commonly used and easy to use", and "the fun of matching different road conditions" as the core, we will promote the development and popularization of "autonomous driving". In December 2023, BMW received its first L3 autonomous driving test license in China in Shanghai.
In the face of more complex road conditions in China, how BMW responded, the numbers behind it are more telling.
So far, BMW has conducted 50,000 kilometers of road tests in China, involving more than 400 Chinese cities, about 2,000 commissionings, and more than 100 version updates.
In addition, it has also carried out localized adaptation, including urban road conditions, highways, through computer vision, and driving strategy analysis, the Chinese road environment, signs, and traffic participants' behavior habits are all incorporated into the development process to ensure compliance with China's road regulations and adapt to the habits of traffic participants. Like our most common Gasseer situation, the problem of mixed traffic between people and vehicles is incorporated into the R&D process system for simulation and calculation to ensure the experience of intelligent driving.
At the same time, a large amount of test road and driving data can be returned to BMW's R&D system as permitted by laws and regulations, which will become an important support for the development of autonomous driving.
BMW puts safety and stability first, and gradually improves the availability and reliability of autonomous driving through continuous data feedback, which is enough to reflect the attitude and responsibility of major manufacturers towards autonomous driving.
Echoing intelligent driving is the intelligent cockpit, which is based on the human-computer interaction system, and BMW brings a new model into everyone's field of vision.
From the Dee concept car to the next-generation concept car, the design of the panoramic vision bridge has emerged, including a new central display and a multi-function steering wheel, and this new interaction mode is becoming the prototype of the next generation of BMW's iDrive interactive system.
Different from the current tree-like menu logic, the interaction mode on the new generation concept car will be flatter and easier for users to operate and use. Of course, this is not only the voice of global users, but also in line with the usage habits of Chinese consumers. As early as 2020, BMW launched a research campaign for the all-new iDrive in China, including the panoramic vision bridge, and has invited more than 900 Chinese users to participate in the research, with more than 2,500 hours of in-depth interviews.
The pure electric MINI and the world premiere of the ACEMAN model unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show opened a new stage of BMW's interactive development with a circular LCD screen that combines classic and technology. From the IP image SPIKE, the overall UI design, the interface layout to the application, it is BMW that combines global design resources, especially the R&D system including China.
BMW has fully integrated localized development in the implementation of the intelligent strategy, and has achieved phased results, which is actually due to BMW's deep cultivation of the Chinese market for many years. It can be said that the intelligence of the new generation and the localization of China can be said to be deeply bound.
BMW has a deep presence in China and strengthens local R&D
Just as BMW continues to emphasize the importance of the Chinese market and industrial supply chain in its work on electrification, intelligence and circular sustainability, the weight of its local presence in China is also steadily increasing.
In 2023, the BMW Group will open a new R&D center in Shanghai (Skylab Human-Computer Interaction Design) and a new Designworks studio in Shanghai. The design of the new generation of BMW models to be put into production in China in the future was jointly developed by the Shanghai design team and the Munich R&D center.
At present, the second phase of the expansion project of the Shenyang R&D Center has also been officially opened, strengthening BMW's full-process development and verification capabilities for domestic new energy vehicles. The facility has 19 new laboratories, 90% (17) dedicated to testing new energy vehicles.
In terms of talent, BMW has more than 3,000 experts in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Nanjing, and by the end of 2024, BMW ArcherMind Technology Co., Ltd. (BATW) in Nanjing will expand to 600 developers.
In 2025, the next-generation BMW models will be tested on the roads of China, and will be tested at the BMW Group's EMC laboratory, which has the largest and most comprehensive test program in the world.
With the continuous expansion and upgrading of BMW's R&D facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Nanjing, BMW has established the largest and most complete R&D system in China outside of its headquarters in Germany, and has the ability to provide solutions for intelligent and connected vehicles.
With such a large-scale layout, especially the expansion of the R&D center, it shows BMW's attention to the local Chinese market and the importance it attaches to Chinese users, and at the same time, at the time of the arrival of the new energy and intelligent wave, it is obviously in line with BMW's transformation goal to connect with China's industrial advantages.
Just like Dr. Lei Kai, Senior Vice President of R&D at BMW China. Robert Kahlenberg said that China is his second home, which not only has his personal feelings, but also shows the importance of the Chinese market to BMW in the development of the next generation of products.
Write at the end
BMW, which has been making cars for more than 100 years, certainly understands the importance of technological innovation, and BMW's insistence on full-stack self-development of core technologies is also its ambition as a luxury car brand. Balancing self-development and cooperation, and making full use of the advantages of China's industrial chain, is also the potential purpose of BMW's in-depth R&D layout in China.
The new generation concept car can be said to be BMW's integration of electrification, intelligence and circular sustainability, and it is also a new interpretation of driving pleasure, but what has changed from the past is that this time, BMW has a closer connection with China, and creating a new "intelligent" productivity at the same frequency as China's automobile industry has become the key to BMW's transformation in new energy intelligent networking.