Written byTu Yanping.
EditZHANG Nan.
I know that there is a word in Chinese called 'BMW Xiangche'. So, if you ask how about our 5 Series?You see, a long, long time ago, the ancient Chinese already told you - BMW, it's really fragrant!”
On November 17, the first day of the Guangzhou Auto Show, Sean Green, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, appeared at the BMW booth press conference and delivered a speech in Chinese.
Since November 1 this year, Gao Xiang has been promoted to President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, with overall responsibility for BMW Group Greater China, including coordinating BMW Group joint ventures in China.
Gao Xiang came to China in 2014, and in the nearly 10 years he has lived in China, he loves Chinese culture and can speak fluent and authentic Chinese, which can be regarded as a "China expert". Gao Xiang's appointment comes at a time when the BMW Group's electrification transformation in the Chinese market is accelerating.
In the first 10 months of 2023, BMW's all-electric model sales increased by 211% year-on-year to 78,568 units.
At this year's Guangzhou Auto Show, the all-new BMW 5 Series long wheelbase version made its world premiere, and the BMW 5 Series unveiled the innovative pure electric BMW i5 for the first time in history. The launch of the BMW i5 not only strengthens BMW's position in the mid-to-large luxury car segment, but also strengthens BMW's presence in the pure electric luxury segment.
At present, the BMW Group has launched the BMW i3, i4, iX1, iX3, iX and i7 in the Chinese market. Including the BMW i5, BMW has seven BEVs in the Chinese market, covering almost all major market segments.
The all-new BMW 5 Series is powered by both gasoline and electricity
Since its inception in 1972, the BMW 5 Series has sold more than 10 million units worldwide, making it known as the world's most successful mid-to-large luxury executive car.
In 2003, the fifth-generation BMW 5 Series began production in China. Over the past 20 years, the BMW 5 Series has amassed more than 2 million Chinese users. Among them, the current 5 Series has about 1.1 million Chinese users.
The innovative all-electric BMW i5
The all-new BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase is the eighth generation of the 5 Series. The biggest highlight is that it will bring both gasoline and pure electric models, not only the BMW 5 Series, but also the innovative pure electric BMW i5, providing consumers with a wealth of choices.
In the gasoline version, the inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine is equipped with 48V mild hybrid technology, with a maximum power of 190 kW and a peak torque of 400 Nm.
The innovative all-electric BMW i5 features the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology as well as BMW's latest charging technologies, such as battery pre-heating management, and supports high-power charging services. The BMW i5 has a range of more than 700 km in the long-wheelbase version.
In addition, for the first time, the M model - the pure electric BMW i5 M60 has been introduced, with dual motors that can output 820 Nm of torque, and the 0-100 acceleration time is 38 seconds.
The new BMW 5 Series features a recoupe-style body shape that is instantly recognisable, with a length of 5,175 mm, a wheelbase of 3,105 mm, and a significantly raised nose and window line.
Exclusive to the new BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase Edition, the rear seat entertainment system that accompanies the launch of the 7 Series is impressive. The BMW floating giant screen extends naturally from the canopy, turning the rear space into an exclusive private theater, equipped with an 8K ultra-high-definition, 31-inch giant screen, and supports 32:9 panoramic view** mode. Users can realize a variety of functions such as playing games on the screen in the back row, participating in meetings, etc.
The all-new BMW 5 Series features Level 2+ intelligent driver assistance systems, bringing BMW's world-first automatic lane change function with gaze checking. In the 60-180 km/h range on highways and closed roads, the function tracks the driver's eyes and head movements, helping the driver to change lanes with just a glance in the rearview mirror when the conditions are met.
The all-new BMW 5 Series Long Wheelbase Edition has the ability to expand to Level 3 autonomous driving, and the BMW China R&D team is also strengthening the localization of Level 3 autonomous driving to prepare for the adaptation and application of Level 3 autonomous driving functions in China in the future.
As a model born in China, the all-new BMW 5 Series has a long wheelbase that has been fully customized, with unique styling, exclusive color schemes, exclusive equipment, localized digital applications, and the first gold trim.
In Gao Xiang's view, the all-new BMW 5 Series has realized the electrification of all BMW mainstream models on the one hand, and on the other hand, it has become the latest proof of BMW's vision for future mobility with breakthrough innovation in the field of digital intelligence.
According to BMW's official information, the all-new BMW 5 Series will be launched at the end of January 2024 and will be delivered one after another.
China's experience feeds back to the world
In 2013, BMW's first electric car, the BMW i3, was launched, ushering in a new era of electrification.
Ten years later, BMW has already made great achievements in electrification.
BMW is fully electrifying its entire product lineup. With the launch of the BMW i5, BMW's all-electric models will cover almost all major market segments.
"Although we don't know whether consumers will prefer the gasoline version or the pure electric model, the production planning does not put much pressure on us, because the flexible production capacity allows us to complete the switch in a very short time. ”
This flexible production capacity with a switch between oil and electricity is particularly important in the transition period of electrification, and this is where BMW excels.
BMW Superchargers
BMW is accelerating the construction of a charging ecosystem to meet the charging needs of more scenarios. As of the end of October this year, BMW's public charging network had access to more than 580,000 public charging piles across the country, covering more than 320 cities.
In August this year, BMW released the BMW Super Charging Station, which supports up to 600kW charging power for high-power charging piles. Within three months, BMW has settled 10 stations in nine cities, including Guangzhou, and expects to build about 50 BMW Superchargers by the end of 2023.
Looking to the future, the BMW Group has a clear electrification plan and expects to deliver its 2 millionth BEV globally in 2025. By 2030, at least 50% of the BMW Group's sales will come from all-electric models, and the cumulative sales of electric vehicles will reach 10 million units.
Among them, the importance of the Chinese market will be self-evident.
BMW Brilliance powertrain plant
BMW's investment in China is accelerating. On November 22 this year, the construction of the sixth-generation power battery project of BMW's Shenyang production base was officially capped. This is a supporting project for the production of new generation pure electric BMW models in Shenyang from 2026, with a total investment of 10 billion yuan.
At the same time, the BMW Group's R&D system in China is being upgraded.
In May this year, BMW Brilliance Shenyang opened the second phase of the expansion project, and 17 of the 19 new laboratories are dedicated to testing new energy vehicles, further strengthening BMW's full-process development and verification capabilities for localized new energy vehicles.
In July this year, the BMW Group's new R&D Center in Shanghai was opened and upgraded to the BMW Group's Asia-Pacific Technology Center. Together with BMW's R&D centers in Beijing, Shenyang and Nanjing, the center is BMW's most complete R&D system outside of Germany.
In today's automotive products, human-computer interaction is one of the core of digital user experience. China is the only country outside of Germany where BMW has set up a skylab human-computer interaction design team and a usability lab laboratory.
In the past three years, the number of BMW's R&D teams in China has tripled. Today, more than 3,200 people work in R&D and innovation.
There is reason to believe that China will also play a more important role in BMW's global R&D network.
Why has BMW continued to increase its investment in R&D in China in the past two years?
Gao Xiang said that the Chinese market is changing rapidly with each passing day, and BMW continues to upgrade its R&D system in China, and shift the R&D focus in areas such as digitalization and autonomous driving to China to increase the speed to better and faster meet the needs of Chinese customers.
In other words: BMW is not moving German engineers to work in China, but is developing a strong R&D team in China.
During his tenure at BMW, Gao Xiang went to the front line, visiting almost all BMW dealerships in China and most provinces and cities in China, and communicating with partners. In his new role, he has spent most of his time communicating with the Munich headquarters about future products and strategies, as the Chinese market will play a key role in the future development of the BMW Group and decision-making at the headquarters.
In addition, his predecessor, Jochen Goller, has returned to the headquarters in Germany to join the board of directors of the BMW Group and will be involved in the headquarters' decision-making on future products and strategies. This will also be a positive for the Chinese market to influence the future decision-making and product development of the BMW Group.
As the picture of electric + smart mobility becomes clearer, the BMW Group will continue to firmly promote its strategy in China, and feed back the experience of the Chinese market to the world, and promote global development with Chinese innovation while further developing in China.