With more than 100 years of history and a journey based on the courage to innovate and compete among the best, the BMW Group continues to learn from the challenges of the past to respond to the opportunities of the future. We believe that the answer to great challenges is conviction and resilience. As a leading supplier of electric mobility in the premium segment, our conviction is that we play an important role in the construction of the mobility of the future.
Our NUMBER ONE >> NEXT strategy, opened the door to achieve greater efficiency and stronger operational performance, and placed us as at the top of the list of companies providing e-mobility. This strategy will become more evident in 2023, when we will be offering 25 electrified models in our fleet.
The future of mobility has arrived. And it has been a long time since this scenario resembled with pure sci-fi. We are living in times where environmental concerns and sustainability are discussed on a daily basis, with mobility and technology as the core of what many call the fourth industrial revolution. This revolution accelerated the recent development of mobility technologies and, with these, great opportunities arose increasing safety and the decarbonization of cities, with significant environmental improvements.
In the midst of a pandemic situation, we are able to see that many things have changed over the years, especially over the past year. The automotive industry is going through one of the most challenging moments in its history. A new era of electrification and connectivity is revolutionizing the world towards a future with smarter mobility, aiming to achieve zero polluting emissions and zero road fatalities.
During this period, we’ve never heard so much about sustainability, and we’ve never thought so much about the environment as now. It istrendy to be ‘green’, whether through what we eat, the clothes we wear, the brands we consume and, of course, the way we move.
However, we don’t have to lock ourselves at home and stop moving in order to create a more sustainable planet. Life is outside the walls, not inside them. In order to understand what the cities of the future need, we have to observe, through our own eyes, how the world is changing.
We know that the cities of the future will be ‘smart’ for this very reason, as they allow us to continue to do what we always did, but in a smarter way. We can reach targets that, before, could only be reached by standing still: 50% lower pollution levels, cleaner cities, fresher air… and, at the same time, spending more time doing what we love most.
At BMW, we embrace this challenge in all its complexity, out of conviction and also because it is in our own interest. If we look today at the BMW i3, which was designed in 2007, we see a vehicle perfectly adapted to the mobility of today. We are committed to thinking about mobility with an eye on the future, and this involves a large investment in green energy in a transversely way.
We believe that only a wide range of technology can create the necessary flexibility to drive change in mobility. Whilst we see electromobility as the future of mobility, some markets have bigger challenges to implement the necessary infrastructure and for this reason we offer a wide range of products and drivetrains to meet the different needs across the world. Our goal is to offer the best and most efficient vehicles and give our customers the power to choose the drivetrain that better suits their needs, be it a combustion, electric or hybrid engine.
We have also implemented several projects, both globally and locally, to increase the sustainability of our Group: in addition to launching more and more electrified models, we remain focused on investing in technology with our Portuguese joint venture, Critical TechWorks, which is developing, exclusively for BMW Group, technology and software to build the vehicle of the future.
We must continue to take advantage of the technology. When we talk about what we have been developing to build the Mobility of the Future, we are not only talking about electrified mobility, but also about technology and connectivity. Technology improves the use of electric vehicles significantly, informing on battery levels, nearest charging stations, nearest parking to avoid wasting time, connectivity services, autonomous driving… An endless number of opportunities that, in the end, will make our lives easier, offering us our most valuable resource: time.
We are also focused on improving life in cities. One recent example is the introduction of an innovative technology for our plug-in hybrids: a system that allows our cars to automatically switch to electric mode as soon as they enter a zero emissions zone. This project is called BMW eDrive Zones and aims to reduce the level of emissions in urban areas.
We are a brand that is constantly thinking about the future, not only globally, but also locally. Sustainability is what drives us. We want our associates to be involved in the organization’s purpose and encourage them to continue their professional paths.
In this context, social responsibility is also one of the main pillars that defines us as a company. In Portugal, together with the Oeiras Solidária mProgram, we have developed several social activities. In 2016, BMW identified three students of the Institute of Employment and Training (IEFP) that required financial support and conducted an internal collection to support them with basic products. We’ve also organized a team building activity in a Primary school in Paço de Arcos, Oeiras, in order to remodel it: we painted the school and built a wooden house for the children. These activities reinforce our bond with the local communities.
Finally, our experience has shown us that people are and should always be at the centre of our business. Maintaining an open and inclusive work environment and a relationship based on trust is essential in our daily routines. We will always focus on people, investing in their development, in their skills, in digital tools and in keeping the communication channels always open.
In this context, we also believe that brands have a role to play when it comes to the topic of diversity and social inclusion. Diversity is the engine of our success – today and in the future – because it fosters creativity and innovation.
We at the BMW Group believe that our role is to build and promote the mobility of the future. Our philosophy allows us to evolve efficiently and sustainably and we will continue to be agents in the promotion of a circular economy, working daily on our strategic vision of electrification, with a view to achieve the global objectives of carbon neutrality. And for that, we count on the effort and commitment of our people, which is crucial for the future of the brand.
