In contrast, the market value of Daimler Group, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, is $65.8 billion, and that of BMW Group is $54.9 billion. Take a closer look at this list. Among the top global 10 automakers, BYD ranked fifth with 72.4 billion yuan, and the market value of Weilai, which was established only six years ago, has reached 65,654.38 billion US dollars, higher than GM and BMW Group.
Although market value is not the only criterion to judge the absolute strength of an automobile manufacturer, BMW, the protagonist of this paper, may begin to reverse the situation of sticking to its own opinions.
Weilai is a new power automobile company, Tucki is a new power automobile company, and even Tesla is a new power automobile company. Compared with the history of traditional car companies for decades or even hundreds of years, these car companies in front are very young.
Electric vehicles, in particular, are still relatively new. As a new type of transportation that has not completely replaced fuel vehicles, the rapid development of electric vehicles and the crushing of market value by emerging car companies have indeed brought a lot of pressure to traditional car companies.
Akio Toyoda has publicly stated that "Tesla overestimates its value of $400 billion, which is not mature enough to affect the trend of global cars" and compares Tesla to a "recipe", while Toyota is the relationship between "kitchen" and "chef".
Akio Toyoda's views on the field of electric vehicles and Tesla are actually similar to those of Volkswagen China CEO who didn't like extended-range electric technology before and didn't fully recognize these new technology-based car companies.
However, we have to admit that if the market value of $400 billion created in 10 is not shocking enough, what value will investors see from the market value of $65 billion created by China electric vehicle brand Weilai after listing on NYSE for more than two years?
This brings us back to the topic of BMW. When others are discussing that electric vehicles represent the future, when Musk regards electric vehicles as reformers to replace fuel vehicles, when Mercedes-Benz Audi Volkswagen invests a lot of money and manpower to develop exclusive pure electric platforms, and when everyone is arguing endlessly about the development of electric companies and electric vehicles, why is BMW unmoved?
Manfred Schoch, head of the employee committee of BMW Group, once said that "only with the help of its own pure electric platform can we give full play to the advantages of electric vehicles", and that "in order to gain a leading edge in the new rivals of Tesla and China, the electrified platform is more important than the integrated architecture".
In the electrification development strategy planned by BMW, the flexible integrated architecture compatible with internal combustion engine and pure tram is the most important. From BMW's point of view, electric vehicles are not the mainstream of the market at this stage, and consumers' choice of fuel vehicles and electric vehicles fluctuates greatly. Building a brand-new pure electric platform means spending a lot of money and reopening the factory.
Electric vehicle is still a new technical category. If the new factory will cost 654.38 billion euros, there are many uncertainties in the electrification market and it will face greater investment risks.
Therefore, integrated architecture is the result of BMW's current priority. Previously, BMW 5 Series PHEV and other models have been on the market for many years, and BMW i8 and i3 laid the foundation for BMW's electrification transformation. However, the high investment in the development of pure electric platform makes the manufacturing cost of the whole vehicle high, so BMW knows that the first pure electric vehicle i3 is destined to be the masterpiece of the brand.
In contrast, the integrated structure of oil and electricity can better meet the goal of BMW's transformation to electrification, especially in the aspects of shorter research and development cycle, easier transformation of production line and lower flexible production cost.
Therefore, BMW's first domestic pure electric SUV——iX3, is modified from BMW X3 oil, and it is also the second pure electric vehicle launched by BMW after i3. China iX3 has been launched from Tiexi new factory a few days ago and boarded a transport ship to overseas markets in Dalian Port.
In addition, BMW recently released the official map of pure electric i4, which means that i4, like iX3, is equipped with the fifth-generation eDrive electric drive technology and will meet us soon.
Interestingly, even if the new i4 is the product of integrated architecture, the standard battery life of WLTP has reached 600km. In this way, BMW without pure electric platform can make a non-pure electric vehicle have a good battery life, which also makes BMW further realize the development potential of integrated architecture.
However, compared with iX3 and i4, which inherited the strong "oil change" style of the fuel version, iX based on the concept car iNEXT can be called the transformation of BMW in the direction of electrification.
This brand-new BMW pure electric vehicle with a brand-new digital architecture is also the first brand-new BMW pure electric vehicle with 5G technology, bringing 600km of battery life. Positioning the medium and large flagship SUV has shattered BMW's insistence on conservatism in the past, and its brand-new appearance and subversive cockpit design have made it show advanced digitalization and futurity.
On the basis of intelligence and networking, BMW iX will also become the template that can best see the future of BMW electric products. Therefore, compared with iX3' s status as the first domestic electric vehicle and i4' s familiarity based on the new 4-series electrochemistry, iX is BMW's biggest reformed pure electric product.
However, compared with BMW's preference for integrated architecture and its conservative approach in promoting electrification, Volkswagen Group has launched MEB platform, and Audi will also share this platform to develop new cars. Q4？ E-tron will be built based on MEB electrified platform.
In addition, Mercedes-Benz will launch EQS flagship pure electric vehicle based on pure electric EVA platform, and the modular pure electric MMA platform is also under development.
Needless to say, many domestic new high-end brands have come to the end and initially established a triangular relationship between electric brands. They are more recognized by Chinese people than pure electric products of any joint venture brand. Tesla is ahead and close to a model. 3 has opened a huge gap with all opponents.
However, according to foreign media, BMW, which is regarded as incomplete transformation, seems to have seen the current predicament and seems to have given up its electrification development strategy of betting only on the integrated structure. It is reported that BMW has decided to develop a new pure electric platform, which will be listed in 2025 and put into use in a new factory in Hungary.
For BMW, the R&D benefit of electric platform is low in the foreseeable high-cost investment, but in the face of Tesla's triumph, when the old rivals actively step into electrification and prepare to meet the challenge with all their strength, the route of "compatible with internal combustion engines and electric vehicles" they insist on obviously does not have the strongest competitive advantage.
According to BMW's plan, all factories in Germany will produce pure trams in 2022, among which the factory in Munich will start producing i4 on 202 1, and establish an electric vehicle and battery technology center; Dinggefen factory will produce new BMW iX cars in 20021year, and regensburg factory will start producing pure trams in 2022. The Leipzig plant will continue to produce i3, and then it will be responsible for the production of power battery related components.
By 2030, BMW plans to produce more than 7 million pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, of which pure trams will account for two thirds. At present, whether it is iX3, i4 or iX, BMW obviously has a longer-term goal on the road of electrification transformation, and the recently released iX is obviously the facade signboard before the birth of BMW's new electrification platform.
abstract
Under the pressure of competitors and the restriction of national policies, the fact that electrification is a general trend has long been beyond doubt. In the overall transformation and layout of electric products, some people have tasted the sweetness first, while others have been slow to try to catch up with the powerful vehicle manufacturing industry chain and capital reserve. No one can say who will dominate the future electrification pattern once and for all.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.