Aiming Really High: BMW Wants 100,000 Electric Sales for 2017
BMW has announced to the world that it wants to increase electric vehicle sales to 100,000 units next year — choosing a figure that is hypothetically possible while remaining statistically unlikely.
Taking all bets.
Munich’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung (via Automotive News Europe) says BMW is planning on a big increase in sales for plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles. The company wants to see 100,000 electrified units rolling off dealer lots next year.
Harald Krüger, BMW’s Chief Executive Officer, says the company is on point to deliver 60,000 hybrid and electric cars for this year. However, the Bavarians have only cracked 100,000 electrified units in total between 2013 and now. Meeting next year’s goal would require a sizable upsurge in demand, especially for non-hybrid EVs, something even BMW seems cautiously optimistic about.
“Electromobility will come, but demand is not yet going through the ceiling,” Krüger told Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
That hasn’t kept BMW from investing in its electric future. The company has hybrid powertrains available for the 3 and 7 Series, and also offers the entirely electric i3. Still, the i3 hasn’t exactly been a sales dynamo. The little i3 only garnered about 25,000 sales worldwide last year. A lot of those purchases came from the United States, but interest has also diminished this year.
To make the i3 more appetizing, BMW has recently given it a higher density battery and an improved range — something it desperately needed to keep up with more affordable competitors like Nissan’s Leaf.
With the i3 as the company’s only all-electric and its stable of hybrids remaining fairly modest, especially in America, BMW is going to be facing some serious competition. Not only that, other premium automakers are gearing up to roll out EVs in the near future. Mercedes-Benz has created the EQ sub-brand to rival BMW’s currently minuscule i Series lineup. Audi has hinted at big things from its new e-Tron vehicles and Volkswagen is promising to turn the whole world electric by introducing 30 new electric cars before 2025.
Meanwhile, BMW has an electric sub-brand consisting of an extremely low-volume borderline concept car hybrid and a city EV that people seem only marginally interested in. There is a lot of electric noise coming out of Germany overall but BMW doesn’t seem to be in a better place than other manufacturers to make things happen — especially this year. Its best bet for the rest of this decade would be to start sneaking in more hybrids powertrains into popular selling models and get that Mini EV finished as soon as possible.
[Image: BMW Group]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Then BMW either needs to give them away, or fix all of its EVs' glaring faults with ridiculously short ranges, ridiculously long charging times and ridiculously high prices. If it can't do that, and is not willing to give away the EVs, it should withdraw them from the market.
But if we like keep drilling for more electricity the earth will like eventually run out of it, right? That's why I support sustainable alternatives like sunshine and maybe smaller like gas tanks. But can't talk now, on my way to the campus safe space.