Unwilling to be left behind, the car “old money” BBA once again challenges the “upstart” Tesla.
At the Munich Motor Show (IAA) this week, BMW and Mercedes-Benz both unveiled their new concept electric vehicles, as the two established German car companies' most active experiments in electrification so far.
Among them, Mercedes-Benz launched the CLA, a concept car based on the latest pure electric platform MMA, which is expected to be officially mass-produced in 2024.
BMW exhibited the electric concept car Neue Klasse at its “home” in Munich, which is expected to be officially mass-produced in 2025.
Of course, these presentations are still limited to concepts; the actual mass production situation is still variable. However, it is enough to explain that as Tesla “threatens” to turn its Berlin plant into Europe's largest automobile factory, these local European car companies are already feeling a crisis.
After the opening of the Munich Motor Show on Monday, the stock prices of BMW and Mercedes-Benz rose slightly.
Mercedes-Benz CLA concept car: battery life surpasses Tesla
According to Mercedes-Benz's official report, the new concept car consumes about 12 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometers, can drive 750 kilometers (466 miles) on a full charge, and can drive 400 kilometers in 15 minutes.This battery life exceeds Tesla's maximum range.
Mercedes-Benz also said it is developing its own operating system for the new all-electric CLA, called MB.OS, which will cover functions such as navigation, assisted driving, and in-vehicle entertainment.
It is worth noting that in Mercedes' official introduction to this model,Performance data did not appear, focusing on statements in terms of battery life and charging speed.
According to analysis by overseas car media, this shows that this model does not pursue power. Furthermore, according to the concept model presentation at the Munich Motor Show, the car has many “fancy designs of the concept car,” including a water-cooled processor on the floor, silver leather seats, a moonlight sunroof, and a “super screen” with almost no physical control buttons.
Furthermore, the new CLA, which will be mass-produced in 2024, will also have L3 level autonomous driving.However, this function will not be introduced at the time of launch, but will be gradually promoted to car companies through OTA in the future.
BMW Neue Klasse: the biggest investment in history
BMW Neue Klasse (German, English, New Class) actually comes from the launch of the model of the same name in 1962. This model was later known as the BMW 1800, and helped BMW embark on a successful path at the time.
According to the presentation, the concept car uses a glass roof, and BMW said this design “reflects the classic elements of the BMW brand.” In addition, the new model will also be equipped with so-called “Panoramic Vision (Panoramic Vision)”, that is, a head-up display.
There are few details about the range and charging of the new BMW models. BMW said that the model will be equipped with a greatly improved pure electric platform, the range will increase by 30%, the charging speed will increase by 30%, and the overall efficiency of the vehicle will increase by 25%. Based on this new all-electric platform, BMW says it will launch 6 new cars over the next 24 months.
BMW executives said,Neue Klasse was developed with the goal of cutting battery pack costs in half and increasing range per kilowatt-hour by 25%.
At the IAA, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said Neue Klasse would be “very profitable”:
We... definitely wouldn't be any less profitable than we are today.
According to BMW, the new pure electric platform will be manufactured at BMW's factory in Hungary.BMW will invest 2 billion euros (2.2 billion dollars) thereA new battery manufacturing and assembly plant was built for Neue Klasse, and production was later expanded to plants in Munich, Mexico, etc.
BMW board member Frank Weber said in a statement:
For Neue Klasse, we've begun the biggest investment in the company's history.
Comments