BMW isn’t giving up on petrol engines just yet

As various car brands continue to announce plans to cease the development of new internal combustion engines, it’s been confirmed that BMW is doing the opposite. It’s working on another generation of six and eight-cylinder engine technology.

The development will be welcome news to car enthusiasts, particularly those who are fans of the famed roundel. It’s a stark contrast to BMW’s rivals over at Audi, who have already announced that they will stop developing new ICE powertrains. 

The news comes via BMW development director Frank Weber. Speaking to German outlet Auto Motor und Sport, he confirmed that not only are new petrol sixes and eights coming down the pipe, but also diesel engines. 

Weber said that the decision is motivated by the desire to “effectively reduce CO2 emissions in the passenger car sector globally”, perhaps implying that there’s more gains to be made in making traditional engines more efficient. 

Indeed, these new engines are “state-of-the-art” according to Weber. 

“With the six-cylinder engine alone, we are reducing CO2 emissions more massively than has been the case with a generation change,” he added.

“In order to reconcile emissions requirements on the one hand and performance requirements on the other, we looked at the entire charge cycle and found a promising approach there.”

Weber added that BMW doesn’t want to force its customers to choose electric. “[BMW’s] aim is to always offer the most sustainable and innovative vehicles, regardless of the type of drive,” he said. 

BMW was among the more vocal legacy brands in 2021 when it came to reducing emissions in its cars, although for most of the year its conversations centered around how to make vehicle production more sustainable and how to make sure more of its cars will be recyclable in the future. 

The apex of these goals was the unveiling of the BMW iVision Circular at the Munich Motor Show last October. 

The concept features recycled aluminium and steel in its construction, the solid-state battery is designed to be reused at its end-of-life phase, the steering wheel is made out of recycled wood powder, and each panel is fastened using just one bolt.