BMW using brushed motors

[nthach]

Part of that might be that Thailand has a more reliable power supply to those factories than does the Philippines. I don’t know about Malaysia.

Daihatsu(Toyota) builds for Malaysia, and Proton(Mitsubishi Motors, now Nissan) is the “local” brand - but I think they’re Indonesian.

 

[edyvw]

Now for the correct answer... BMW is in trouble. They are in a small market, as @OVERKILL pointed out. Tesla outsells them in the markets they compete in. Tesla is hugely profitable (just wait for Q4 results) and can use that to beat its competitors on price. That's leverage.
Not to mention 2 new, state of the art factories, one of which is in Berlin. Giga Berlin will make hundreds of thousands of the Model Y and millions of battery cells. Batteries are the biggest cost in an EV; vertical integration baby!

BMW's margins are maybe 20% in a great year. Tesla is north is 30%; that's Porsche and Ferrari territory. And with economies of scale, those margins will only increase.
Legacy vs future. The auto industry is at an inflection point. As such, the business practices and strategies that carried a company to this point are no longer appropriate going forward.

Is this the correct answer or just a business outlook perspective? Guess we'll see. All good.

The time it will take Tesla to catch up:
https://www.euronews.com/2022/01/26...uCGJ93oZHFd-1EDB3Ae99REg9Q8iOr1Mi3ZkVuHlN3soU

 

[Marcozi]

It is not problem at all.

BMW is experimenting. They don’t even have EV specific platform. Now it is time to experiment.

BMW does have a "EV specific platform." "Google BMW i4." BMW has had to add weekend shifts at its Munich factory to keep up with the demand.

 

[edyvw]

BMW does have a "EV specific platform." "Google BMW i4." BMW has had to add weekend shifts at its Munich factory to keep up with the demand.

That is not platform. That is specific vehicle. I4 is built on CLAR platform, primarily ICE platform.

 

[OVERKILL]

That is not platform. That is specific vehicle. I4 is built on CLAR platform, primarily ICE platform.

Yes, but as we've discussed, that platform was developed to be ICE, PHEV and EV from the get-go. So yes, the majority of vehicles produced on it have been ICE, but BEV and PHEV was always part of the architecture.

 

[edyvw]

Yes, but as we've discussed, that platform was developed to be ICE, PHEV and EV from the get-go. So yes, the majority of vehicles produced on it have been ICE, but BEV and PHEV was always part of the architecture.

From press release from BMW they clearly state that 2025 platform will take into consideration strictly EV. That tells me that CLAR was always primarily ICE with options to add other type of engines. Hence, more weight.

 

[OVERKILL]

From press release from BMW they clearly state that 2025 platform will take into consideration strictly EV. That tells me that CLAR was always primarily ICE with options to add other type of engines. Hence, more weight.

Of course they are going to say their new platform will take into consideration pure EV, lol, they are already producing them.

But they said the same thing about CLAR when it was introduced:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...w-bmw-platforms-can-cope-multiple-powertrains

BMW is hedging in bets in being able to respond to every type of drivetrain a customer might desire as it “simply cannot be sure” how much demand there will be for any particular drivetrain in the future, according to Lutz Meyer, who works on BMW’s product strategy for architectures.

Each of its models will be capable of being equipped with a standard internal combustion engine, a plug-in hybrid drivetrain to electrify the axle not driven by the engine, or a fully electric one.

Followed by:

Full EV configurations will include a single motor on the front axle for the front-wheel drive models and an optional one on the rear axle for all-wheel drive; a single motor on the rear axle for rear wheel drive, with an optional one on the front axle for four-wheel drive; and a further one on the rear axle for performance models to create a car with more than 800bhp.

BMW will offer the electric motors in different ‘sizes’, with a small 134bhp and medium 255bhp for entry-level electric vehicles, and a large 335bhp one and extra large 402bhp-plus version for performance models.

Of course one should fully expect the new platform to be an improvement here, given that it's an evolutionary step. But that does not preclude the fact that BMW was clearly factoring in electrification much earlier on and had every intention of doing it with CLAR from the get-go, something they clearly followed-through on.

 

[edyvw]

Of course they are going to say their new platform will take into consideration pure EV, lol, they are already producing them.

But they said the same thing about CLAR when it was introduced:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...w-bmw-platforms-can-cope-multiple-powertrains



Followed by:


Of course one should fully expect the new platform to be an improvement here, given that it's an evolutionary step. But that does not preclude the fact that BMW was clearly factoring in electrification much earlier on and had every intention of doing it with CLAR from the get-go, something they clearly followed-through on.

I think it is more of PR stunt with CLAR. Did they plan hybrid? Yes. But they introduced EV basically at the end of CLAR platform life cycle. Doesn’t make any sense to develop CLAR and not utilize it until now.
Regardless, CLAR always packed more weight than it was desirable. It was developed when BMW wanted to satisfy everyone, BMW customers, Lexus , MB, Audi customers and they got something that doesn’t make anyone really happy.

 

[OVERKILL]

I think it is more of PR stunt with CLAR. Did they plan hybrid? Yes. But they introduced EV basically at the end of CLAR platform life cycle. Doesn’t make any sense to develop CLAR and not utilize it until now.
Regardless, CLAR always packed more weight than it was desirable. It was developed when BMW wanted to satisfy everyone, BMW customers, Lexus , MB, Audi customers and they got something that doesn’t make anyone really happy.

Well, it may just be that it took this long for them to come up with something that worked. 2017 wasn't that long ago

But yeah, CLAR is a bit hefty, but I don't think it's a bad platform. I'd own an i4 M50 without thinking twice, I think it's a gorgeous car.

I am however, as it seems you are, excited to see what the new development brings.

 

[edyvw]

Well, it may just be that it took this long for them to come up with something that worked. 2017 wasn't that long ago

But yeah, CLAR is a bit hefty, but I don't think it's a bad platform. I'd own an i4 M50 without thinking twice, I think it's a gorgeous car.

I am however, as it seems you are, excited to see what the new development brings.

Don’t get me wrong, CLAR is very good. I think bigger problem are sheer dimensions of various products. I supposed to be more specific there. 3 series is much better than F30.
Also, I think i4 is really good looking and BMW hit all the important spot for BMW folks (distribution of weight). If wife goes EV I think it is definitely option. Though I think she will end up in the end with X5 4.0i.