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In conversation: BMW boss Harald Krüger, CEO of BMW AG
The future is electric, autonomous and networked
There are people with whom it is not so easy to get into conversation. Harald Krüger is one of them: Since May 2015, the Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG has ruled the brands BMW, Mini, Rolls Royce, BMW Motorrad and BMW i. Lots of responsibility, lots of opportunities, and great dangers pave his way. But despite all the pressure that top managers like Krüger are exposed to, working as a BMW boss has its sunny side. Harald Krüger tells us more about this and about the future plans of the BMW Group in a personal conversation on the sidelines of the Concorso d'Eleganza 2017. Tenor: The future will be electric, autonomous and networked, but it won't be that fast without combustion engines.
Tradition, nostalgia and visions of the future on Lake Como
Cernobbio on the west bank of Lake Como in northern Italy, half an hour's drive above Milan: once a year, car and motorcycle fans from all over the world flock here. In the Villas d'Este, Erba and Visconti, incredibly valuable vintage and youngtimers are on display for fans of fine metal. Nostalgia meets the future at Lake Como, because studies always show where things will go in the next few years. The world-famous auction house Sotheby's sells treasures on four and two wheels that change hands for millions of euros.
BMW as patron of the Concorso
Since 1929 the Concorso d'Eleganza has celebrated automobiles and motorcycles in a way that fully lives up to its name. BMW has been the patron of the three-day event since 2009. Sounds like mafia, but it means in concrete terms: Bavaria is not only a sponsor here, but also responsible for the smooth organization. In 2017, BMW CEO Harald Krüger gets his own picture of the Concorso for the first time - and invites us to a highly exclusive conversation in the Villa d'Este.
A marathon, not a sprint
Krüger is particularly pleased about the recent development of the compact electric car i3. In addition to 50 percent plus in the first quarter of 2017, it was above all thanks to this model that BMW's share of electrified cars (including plug-in hybrids) has increased significantly. Krüger confident: "We are ramping up!". Background: For 2017 he expects the sale of about 100.000 of these vehicles. That would be just as much as taken together in the three years before. Nevertheless, Harald Krüger attaches great importance to electric cars and plug-in hybrids: "This is a marathon, not a sprint."
Silent coming home with the i3
The BMW boss describes his personal experiences with electric cars without hesitation. At Krüger's home, the almost silent mobility brought with it a few surprises: "My wife initially did not hear me when I came home with the i3." He rides the successful, all-electric compact BMW about every other weekend. According to Krüger's personal experience, electromobility can only really enthuse: "That's highly emotional driving. People are underestimating how quickly you can accelerate from a standstill to an 100 km / h with an electric car. "Plug-in hybrids also make the CEO happy. His most common service car: An 7 plug-in hybrid: "I only live around 16 km away from BMW. That's why I can drive to the office and back home practically every day. "For all these reasons, born Breisgauer is completely convinced by electromobility," to 110 percent for BMW and across all brands. "
Electrically also on two wheels
The fact that this statement includes the BMW Motorrad division was evident from the surprising study “Concept Link” on Lake Como in 2017: a mixture of scooter and motorcycle with purely electric drive, fully networked and an interesting alternative to the car to avoid the dense urban Outsmart traffic. For convenience, there is even a reverse gear on board for maneuvering. In this way, BMW would like to attract more and more non-bikers to two-wheelers. The current BMW C Evolution electric scooter, thanks to its 11 kW rated output (with a peak output of 48 hp), can be driven with the A2 driver's license for 16 year olds - or with the old 3 Series, if it was built before April 1, 1980.
Continue to invest in diesel
For all electric euphoria: The diesel remains according to Harald Krüger even longer in the program. He was critical to meeting the CO2 goals for 2020. Krüger: "We want to see 2025 15 to 25 percent electrified cars. That means: Even then, 75 percent are still internal combustion engines. That's why we will continue to invest in diesel. "Nobody can tell if this will last until 2030 or beyond. Likewise with the fuel cell: "No one can say how many of these cars you can sell 2025. Clear answer therefore: diesel and petrol will remain in the portfolio. "
Cooperation with Toyota: From fuel cell to sports car
Fuel cells together with hydrogen drive are among the fields in which BMW is currently cooperating with Toyota: "This is a good partnership. Since you never know whether this will continue to be limited to the existing. "It is crucial that both partners recognize a win-win basis. For BMW and Toyota this is apparently also the sports car project, from the end of this year, the two sports cars BMW Z5 and Toyota Supra will emerge on a common technical platform. Due to his personal impressions of the Z5, Harald Krüger sounds almost euphoric: "This works very well from both sides. The first car I could drive was fantastic. "
BMW Concept 8 Series anticipates BMW design
Krüger took the world premiere of a near-series new luxury coupé from BMW at the Concorso d'Eleganza to reveal more about the luxury segment: “It is one of my strategic goals to grow in the top luxury segment. And the BMW Concept 8 Series fits exactly there. ” Thanks to numerous concept cars and bikes, the glamorous nostalgia event on Lake Como has developed into a barometer for the early model policy in recent years. Harald Krüger continued on BMW's latest concept study: “The 8 Series is a very dynamically designed large sports coupé. It embodies the balance of luxury and sportiness. The positive reactions here and on the Internet confirm the offensive step into the luxury segment that we will take with it. ”This also applies to the future X7. It will expand BMW's SUV range upwards from the end of 2018. Additional models would follow in the top luxury segment: Among other things, according to Krüger, an all-terrain vehicle from Rolls Royce.
iNext builds 2021 on new architecture
From 2021, according to BMW CEO Krüger, the iNext will mark the next milestone of the brand with a new architecture, which is designed from the outset to the three drive types electric motor, plug-in hybrid and internal combustion engines. The iNext makes the BMW brand a big leap forward in terms of electric drive, but also in autonomous driving and connectivity. Previously, it will go straight to the clock: 2018 comes the i8 Roadster as a plug-in hybrid, 2019 the electric mini and 2020 the electric X3. If you still do not have enough news, you have to let go of Harald Krüger's promising words for the upcoming big German auto show: "If you have patience until the IAA in Frankfurt, there will be something more to see."
And finally ... Electric drive is the order of the day if you listen carefully to BMW boss Harald Kürger. But: The diesel is still important, among other things because of the CO2 targets for 2020. How long that will last cannot be known today, just like the starting point of autonomous driving in series or the substantial expansion of the fuel cell and the necessary infrastructure. Many question marks, which Harald Krüger likes to set exclamation marks - as most recently at the Concorso d'Eleganza 2017 with the new 8 and its major attack in the top luxury class.