All future BMW models will come with some form of electrification in them, said a board member, in order to meet stricter emission norms in Europe. The electrification might come in the form of a full electric vehicle or a hybrid variant.
Electrification, said Herbert Diess - BMW board member for development - will happen even if some customers wouldn't want these models. These will also come first to the European continent, as the emission norms are strongest in that continent. Europe's laws mandate a CO2 level of 95 g/km to be reached before 2020. For the same year, China's target lies at 119 g/km and Japan allows for 117 g/km. In the USA, by 2025, automotive companies are expected to reach a target of 102 g/km.
The German brand's main target would be to cut down average CO2 emissions to around 95 g/km before 2020. Diess added that this will be the company's aim along with "delivering real driving pleasure". To emphasise on the serious statement, Diess also pointed out that the company might use the modular kit developed for the i3 and i8 on a kit basis.
Pointing to a future where 99 g/km would become the average, Diess said that maintaining that number would be difficult and had nothing to say about a 50 g/km target. The only way to do that, he said, is to rely on a high percentage of electric cars.
[Source - Autocar UK]
