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Although new energy vehicles have not yet become the main consumption force in the automobile market, major automobile brands have begun to speed up the production and research and development of electric vehicles. However, different car companies have different ideas on how to develop and produce electric cars.

According to foreign media reports, BMW said it will not change its established technological development route in the future, nor will it follow Audi-Benz to develop a special electric vehicle platform.

In fact, as early as last November, BMW CEO Chipze expounded the relevant point of view, believing that BMW's "integrated" platform can support both electric and fuel vehicles, and will continue to adhere to the electric vehicle development strategy in the future. It will not follow the example of Mercedes-Benz Audi to develop its own electric vehicle platform to compete with Tesla.

Udo Haenle, head of automotive engineering at BMW, said: "in our view, the electric car market is too uncertain, so we will not build a platform specifically for electric vehicles, thus losing flexibility. We don't want the factory to have overcapacity. " "it will cost about 1 billion euros to build a new factory, while it will cost 3 million euros to retrofit existing facilities so that they can produce electric cars in a common line," Udo Henle said. "

In fact, BMW has long been involved in the development of electric vehicles. BMW established the BMW I brand in February 2011 and launched the BMW i3, a specially designed model under the I brand in 2013. However, the performance of this model in the market is somewhat unsatisfactory, and BMW believes that the high cost and unique body design of the i3 will not be extended to BMW's subsequent electric vehicles.

According to media reports, BMW i8 will stop production in April this year, and BMW i3 will also stop production in 2024. To ensure that the i3 remains competitive for the final life cycle, BMW will upgrade its battery capacity.

Mercedes-Benz and Audi are diametrically opposed to BMW in electric vehicle strategy. It is understood that Audi will have four electric vehicle platforms in the next few years, including the PPE electric platform, the pure electric platform developed by the MLB evo vertical modular platform, the J1 high-performance electric platform and the MEB modular electric drive platform. Mercedes-Benz is also accelerating the development of its EVA2 platform to launch the EQS sedan.

Of course, in the face of market competition and challenges, this century-old car company can not predict the risks of follow-up development. It can only be said that BMW's current strategy on the architecture of electric vehicles is relatively conservative.

Under the dual demands of environmental protection and low carbon, a number of countries have announced a ban on the sale of fuel vehicles, with the Netherlands and Norway banning the sale of all traditional fuel vehicles in 2025 and Germany announcing a ban on the sale of traditional fuel vehicles in 2030. In December, European Commission President Ursula von der Lane proposed a more punitive 2030 carbon target, which means that car companies must only produce pure electric vehicles to meet the requirements.

According to BMW's plan, a total of 25 new energy models will be launched in 2023, more than half of which will be pure electric vehicles, two years ahead of schedule. In the face of China's huge new energy vehicle market, BMW plans to launch its first pure electric SUV--iX3 this year. In addition, the beam car, a joint venture between BMW and Great Wall, will also produce fuel-fueled and pure-electric MINI cars.

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