BMW board member Dr. Joachim Post has criticised the plan by European regulators to ban new combustion cars from 2035, warning the move risks “killing an industry” if it ignores customer needs and charging infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch of BMW’s Neue Klasse, he said the company will not split its design language between electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion-engined (ICE) cars, ensuring customers of both powertrain types will get the same technology and quality experience.
Mr Post, who was responsible for BMW’s product strategy when the Neue Klasse was approved in 2021, said the goal was to future-proof all BMWs with next-generation electronics and technologies including its panoramic iDrive user interface and new driver-assistance functions – regardless of their powertrain.
“There should be no compromise for a customer who wants to have a combustion engine or electric powertrain to get his car with all the technologies,” he said.
Mr Post also promised buyers won’t see radical design differences between EV and ICE models from BMW.
“[EV and ICE buyers] can say that one is not looking better than the other one. It was important for us to have not unequal twins,” he said.
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That strategy contrasts with rivals such as Mercedes-Benz (with its EQ sub-brand) and Volkswagen (with its ID models), which created separate EV identities.
Mr Post was blunt in his criticism of the European Commission’s plan to mandate only zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.
“If the European Commission is going to say they have a plan to cut the combustion engine in 2035, they’re not asking the customers and how [EV charging] infrastructure is coming up, how the energy prices are and all the things there. It’s stupid to do that in that way. And you can kill an industry doing it that way.”
His comments come just a few weeks after Mercedes-Benz claimed the European auto industry could collapse if the ICE ban was legislated as planned in 2035.
BMW, he said, has been attacked in the past for pursuing a “technology open” approach – developing EVs while still investing in efficient combustion cars.
“We have been bashed for years with this approach. At that time, the others always came to ‘Hey, why are you not making pure electric?’. All the analysts and a lot of, to be honest, journalists – also sometimes now – a lot of them came back to say ‘sorry, you had done it in the right way’.”
Vindicating BMW’s approach to EVs, Mr Post said many competitors are now backtracking on their EV-only product strategies and embracing technology openness.
“Finally, the customer decides. The world is different in different places, and we are a global player. We’re not a player in one region. And now some other companies change the strategy to technology openness, because you won’t survive if you have to halve volume in five years,” he said.
For BMW, the Neue Klasse is more than just an EV platform – it’s the company’s core technology base, extending across both combustion and electric cars.
By keeping the design language consistent, Mr Post said BMW can deliver modern interiors and digital experiences to all customers while letting them choose the drivetrain.
The approach positions BMW differently from brands that pursued EV-only strategies, and Mr Post warned that those who followed regulation rather than customer demand may be left exposed.
His comments underline how tense the debate has become in Europe, where regulators are pushing hard toward electrification while legacy brands grapple with customer bases that remain split.
For BMW, the answer is to maintain flexibility and ensure no buyer feels short-changed.
“We are BMW, and that’s our brand, and that’s our core, that’s our strength, and we believe in that,” he said.
As Post sees it, survival will depend not just on hitting emissions targets but balancing regulations with customer demand and global realities, because betting everything on a single technology may be the riskiest move of all.
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