AS set out in its Strategy, the BMW Group is committed to playing a key role in tomorrow’s mobility and is investing substantially in new technologies. Against this background, the Group can report after the first three quarters that it remains firmly on track to complete a highly successful financial year 2017. Through sustainable profitability, the BMW Group is strengthening the position of Germany as a center of expertise and driver of innovation for tomorrow’s mobility and technologies. As the world’s leading provider of premium mobility, the BMW Group always focuses on the needs and desires of its customers and is continuing its ground-breaking work on the four ACES topics (Autonomous, Connected, Electrified and Services/Shared).

“We are resolutely doing things the BMW way, keeping our promises and raising the bar for our own ambitious targets,” stated Harald Krüger in Munich on Tuesday. “We are investing substantially in tomorrow’s mobility, enabling us to maintain our leading position of innovation and sustainable employment. In this way, we remain a dependable partner for society, policymakers and the environment as well as one of the most attractive employers worldwide.”

The BMW Group is currently investing 400 million euros in the large-scale expansion of its Research and Innovation center (FIZ) in Munich to create an innovative working environment for around 5,000 employees by 2019. Additionally, from 2021 onwards, the BMW iNEXT will set new standards in terms of electric mobility, automated driving and connectivity, thereby further enhancing the Dingolfing production plant. As the BMW Group’s center of competence for electric mobility, Plant Dingolfing already supplies components to the company’s production network.

In the third quarter, the first employees moved to the new Autonomous Driving Campus near Munich and are now working there hand in hand with partners from Intel and Mobileye on the continued development of autonomous driving. With Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as well as Delphi, Continental and Magna, four additional partners are already collaborating to create a non-exclusive platform for autonomous driving. “These developments underline the success story that has been evolving over the past year with the unique cooperation arrangements and provide additional impetus to embark on the next steps,” said Krüger.

With its Strategy, the BMW Group has shown its clear technological focus on electric mobility, digitalization and autonomous driving. By 2025, the BMW Group intends to offer 25 models across all of its brands, featuring either all-electric propulsion or plug-in hybrid solutions. The fifth generation of storage and powertrain technology is set to provide up to 700 kilometers of range for all-electric vehicles and up to 100 kilometres for plug-in hybrid models.

“Around a decade ago, we anticipated the ‘iconic change’ and we put forward a clear strategy – far ahead of our competitors,” said Krüger. “We remain on track to deliver more than 100,000 electrified vehicles in the current year.” Crucial for the long-term transition from combustion engines to e-mobility is the flexibility factor, as technological change is likely to take place at various speeds, depending on the region and the respective regulatory regimes. The BMW Group is therefore fully committed to flexible architectures and modules. The combination of new vehicle architectures and flexible production facilities will enable quick decisions to be made on how many of which models should be produced and with which drive systems. — SG

At the IAA in Frankfurt, the BMW Group revealed the BMW i Vision Dynamics, an emotional symbol for the future of e-mobility in the form of a four-door Gran Coupé. “With this concept vehicle, we are electrifying the very heart of the BMW brand and raising BMW i to a new dimension at the same time,” stated Krüger. “We will build this model at our Munich plant, thereby highlighting Germany’s importance as a location for electric mobility.”

A successful core business, geared to generating long-term profitability, remains the backbone of the BMW Group, providing the underlying strength to determine the shape of mobility going forward. The BMW Group recorded volume, revenue and earnings growth in the first nine months of 2017. The new BMW 5 Series, along with other models, contributed to this success, impressing customers and experts alike. Its launch in February 2017 marked the start of the largest model offensive in the BMW Group’s history.

Some forty new and updated models of the Group’s three premium brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, will be brought to market during the current and the following year. Through the addition of vehicles with great emotional appeal within the upper-premium segment such as the new BMW 8 Series, the BMW Group aims to achieve significant volume growth in this segment by 2020. The segment also includes the BMW 7 Series and the future BMW X7. This forms part of the company’s strategy of strengthening the performance side in order to ensure long-term business success.

“Sustainable profitability remains a key element of Strategy by providing us with the underlying strength to help shape mobility of the future. Significant upfront investment on research and development is therefore necessary, both now and in the coming years,” explained Nicolas Peter, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Finance. “We are investing extensively in the future of the BMW Group and rigorously following a strategy of achieving success on a sustainable basis. To this end, we are systematically reducing process and product complexity on a daily basis and optimizing our product and service range to meet the needs of customers. In this way, we will ensure the consistency and reliability of the BMW Group.” — SG