GERMAN AUTOMAKER BMW RAMPS UP ELECTRIC VEHICLE OFFERINGS

German automaker BMW said this week it intends to speed the rollout of new electric cars, vowing to bring battery-powered models to 50% of global sales by 2030. The company underlined the point by unveiling a new allelectric model three months ahead of plan.

- 

BMW declined, however, to follow General Motors and other automakers who have said their goal is to phase out internal combustion passenger vehicles by a specific date. Instead, the Munich-based carmaker said it would adjust production among battery, hybrid and efficient internal combustion engines as different parts of the world adopt electric driving at different rates.

CEO Oliver Zipse said during the company’s annual news conference that electrification was proceeding at a “higher speed.” He said BMW would sell its millionth electrified vehicle this year and sell another million by 2025. Zipse said the company was working on a new, all-electric framework for its range of electric cars coming from 2025.