· BMW accelerates electric driverless development 2017 electric vehicle sales are expected to reach 100,000

It is reported that the BMW Group plans to accelerate its strategic pace in the field of driverless car technology and electric vehicles. To this end, the company has fully launched its unmanned technology testing center in Germany, and to promote its flexible development in the field of traditional plug-in hybrid vehicles and pure electric vehicles.
Harald Krger, chief executive of BMW Group, said that since the launch of the BMW i-series electric and plug-in hybrids three years ago, the BMW Group has now stepped into its own electric vehicle development. The second phase of the strategy. Kruger said that BMW's plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles will be expected to reach 100,000 units next year. The expected sales volume is approximately equal to the total sales of electric vehicles of the BMW Group in the past three years.
Last year, the BMW Group sold 2.25 million vehicles, and its total sales target for 2017 is in line with the long-term goal of the company's sales of electric vehicles. By 2025, the global sales of electric vehicle products are in the company's total vehicle sales. Between 15-25% of sales.
Kruger said that the BMW Group will continue to invest in the BMW i-series electric vehicles. Although the BMW i series electric body has invested heavily, its influence on the market is much lower than previously expected, and the BMW Group has been criticized. At present, the BMW i series sells two models – the compact BMW i3 pure electric car for urban use and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.
Last week, the company held a press conference at the BMW Group's prototype of the electric drive system prototype in Munich, Germany. BMW Group CEO Krueger told reporters: "BMW Automotive has always maintained a pioneering role in the field of innovation. BMW will continue to open a breakthrough for the entire BMW Group in groundbreaking technology research and development."
Kruger said that the BMW Group will gradually transform the technological achievements in the production of the BMW i series into all other brands. At present, the BMW Group only sells a pure electric vehicle - the BMW i3 series, six plug-in hybrids, in addition to other fuel-engine models and an electric motorcycle. In 2019, BMW will add a pure electric Mini model; in 2020, add a pure electric BMW X3. In 2018, BMW will also introduce a convertible BMW i8 plug-in hybrid version. In 2017, the BMW Mini will also add a plug-in hybrid version – the new generation BMW Countryman SUV.
The automaker also plans to launch its flagship product based on iNext technology in 2011. In March of this year, BMW introduced the Next100 version of the iNext model with its unmanned concept.
When the outside world asked, the proportion of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the BMW Group's products by 2025. Kruger said that the stimulus policy and charging infrastructure in the electric vehicle sector have a great impact on its demand, so it is still difficult to predict the output of electric vehicle products.
Kruger said that BMW will further develop an architecture platform suitable for all pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, or traditional gasoline and diesel engines. This will allow BMW to be more responsive to future needs. BMW's current architecture platform can accommodate internal combustion engines or plug-in hybrids, but not for pure electric vehicles, while the BMW i3 series has its own independent architecture platform.
Since its official launch in 2013, the BMW Group has sold more than 60,000 BMW i3 pure electric vehicles and more than 10,000 BMW i8 models, as well as more than 30,000 plug-in hybrids. These plug-in hybrid models are all Sold under the BMW iPerformance brand.
Autopilot
Kruger said that the BMW Group will use its new unmanned technology R&D center as a platform to fully research unmanned technology. The company will determine the location of its new R&D center by the end of the year. It is reported that the center will be close to the original R&D center of the BMW Group, not far from its headquarters in Munich, Germany.
Kruger believes that there is no contradiction between BMW's "pure driving pleasure" brand statement and the strategy of developing unmanned electric drive system vehicles. He said: "The sudden acceleration of electric vehicle products is completely suitable for pure driving pleasure, and our consumers have been able to determine their own changes in the driving experience."
When asked about future fuel cell problems, Kruger said that the BMW Group will continue to cooperate with Toyota in the fuel cell field and strive to realize the application of fuel cell vehicles in the production of small vehicles. He said that the main obstacle currently facing fuel cell vehicles is the lack of infrastructure to provide hydrogen fuel. Because the construction cost of the hydrogen fuel infrastructure is too high.
Ambitious sales target of 100,000 electric vehicles in 2017
The BMW Group's sales target for electric vehicle products in 2017 is ambitious, but the company says its confidence in setting goals comes from growing market demand. BMW said that the regulatory requirements for emissions in major cities around the world are constantly improving, but a multi-series product plan can help you match the electric vehicle sales target for the next three years, which can be achieved in 2017.
The German brand car manufacturer is the first company in the world to commit to the development of electric vehicle development projects. Its electric vehicle project Project i project has been released three years ago, covering products such as BMW i3 series and BMW i8 series. It is further expanded to include the BMW 3 Series, which includes the BMW iPerformance plug-in hybrid version, and the Active Tourer in the BMW 2 Series.
Overall, in the past three years, the BMW i and BMW iPerformance series sold have reached 100,000. Ian Robertson, director of marketing for the BMW Group's board of directors, has revealed that BMW's 2017 electric vehicle production target is just matching its 12-month sales. He said: "The point we can aim at is that the sales growth of electric vehicles is accelerating. This proves that the BMW i series has a lot of technical features that are entering the mainstream demand field. The performance of the BMW iPerformance series is also The same. I believe that BMW has the most diverse plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle products compared to other automakers around the world."
At present, there are two models that can help BMW achieve higher electric vehicle sales, namely its upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the BMW MINI Countryman and the BMW 530e hybrid. In fact, the BMW MINI has the same power system base unit as the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. And BMW is likely to launch more main lineup models, including the BMW X2 series crossover.
Robertson said: "We will continue to produce fuel-engine models and incorporate some of the technologies that are suitable for them in BMW iPerformance to produce models with next-generation economic standards and CO2 emission standards."
Robertson also said that he does not believe that the incoming US President Donald Trump, his political views on global climate change and hybrid vehicles, will have a long-term impact on the electric vehicle sector. He believes: "Some people suspect that the United States is changing its policy direction, but I do not believe that this will not happen at least in the medium and long term."
For the recent battery improvements in the BMW i3 series, BMW also said that this improvement has positively contributed to the sales of BMW's electric vehicle products – plus important tax changes in selected markets. In fact, in the past November, the BMW i3 series became the most popular car brand in the country due to the Norwegian government's tax incentives for pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. For the next step, BMW has begun to launch the next generation of pure electric BMW X3 and pure electric BMW MINI models by 2020.