One thing seems to be certain in the automotive industry at this point – the electrification of personal mobility is inevitable. There are many variables, though – when, how, and how fast will this process happen, for example? We don’t know all the answers but events from recent days are hinting it could take longer than expected for the industry to shift to fully electric vehicles. And when those signs come from automakers like BMW, we probably have to listen to what they tell us.
Just yesterday, we reported that Germany is forming some sort of an alliance with other European countries not ready to accept the proposed 2035 ban on sales of new cars with combustion engines in its current form. According to a new report, meanwhile, BMW is working on a new generation of gasoline and diesel engines with four, six, and eight cylinders that are probably going to stay on sale until well into the next decade. Those new combustion mills are reportedly going to be used for the automaker’s SUV lineup.
The report comes from Germany’s Handelsblatt and previously, we’ve covered several of the publication's articles, which were often based on credible sources. Whether that’s also the case with this new report, it’s unclear at the moment, but the magazine also says new diesel engines are under development to answer the existing demand for large diesel-powered SUVs in Europe. We reached out to BMW to hear their opinion on the report and will update this story if we hear back from the Bavarian manufacturer.
Even without an official word from BMW, however, we know from previous interviews the company indeed plans to launch new combustion engines. Last winter, BMW Development Director Frank Weber told German media the automaker is "working on a new generation of engines: petrol, diesel, six-cylinder, eight-cylinder." BMW is also not neglecting its electrification strategy with plans to have at least 50 percent of its sales coming from battery-powered models by the end of this decade.
Gallery: 2024 BMW X5 M Competition
In January last year, Frank Weber gave early and vague details about the new engine family. He said "nothing is really like it was before" and there will be huge gains in efficiency compared to the current generation of engines. New technologies in the cylinder head will be used, for example, as well as “a promising approach” in the entire charge cycle.
