BMW could develop new combustion engine platform

BMW wants to continue making combustion engines for a long time. German media reports that X series SUVs will be available with gasoline and diesel engines until well into the next decade. BMW is even developing a new platform to that end. Other carmakers could follow a similar strategy.

According to Handelsblatt, BMW is working on a new vehicle platform for its models after 2027 that will enable all drive concepts. The magazine cites unnamed BMW managers, who say that the four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines will receive an update. And that not just gasoline but also diesel engines, which are in high demand in Europe, will remain in the program.

BMW has not confirmed the report and declined to comment. But the move is in line with previously reported plans that the carmaker wants 50 per cent of vehicle sales to be EVs by 2030. That means BMW also plans to sell hundreds of thousands of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles per year. And for those to survive on the market, they will need to get a makeover.

But BMW is not the only company that could develop combustion engines in the coming years. Mercedes also wants to continue to sell combustion engines, especially in China. Officially, the manufacturer intends to exclusively introduce EV platforms from 2025 “wherever market conditions permit.” The last combustion engine model will therefore be presented in 2023. But according to Handelsblatt, Mercedes is still modernizing its M176 V8 engine – “given the sluggish sales of electric cars in China and the US, Mercedes could therefore stick with the combustion engine there for longer,” the paper writes.

However, China will likely be an exception. According to the report, Mercedes is not working on a new platform. The manufacturer also announced that it would cut spending on the development of combustion engines and invest in EV development. So there will not be a new generation of combustion engines. However, the manufacturer has left the option of further developing an existing engine open.

handelsblatt.com (in German)