BMW firmly believes gas engines will never disappear off the road
Published on Sep 21, 2025 at 6:36 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
BMW says it believes gas-powered cars will ‘never disappear’ from the road.
BMW is gearing up to launch the first of its Neue Klasse EVs – the iX3.
The marque says the new EV will help usher in a whole new era for the brand.
But it seems the carmaker firmly believes there’s a future where ICE cars and EVs can share the road.
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BMW says gas-powered cars will ‘never’ go away
BMW first announced its Neue Klasse platform in 2023, and has hailed it as a whole new era for the German carmaker.
“The Neue Klasse is our biggest future project and marks a huge leap in terms of technologies, driving experience, and design. Practically everything about it is new,” Chairman of the Board of Management at BWM Oliver Zipse said.
“Our entire product range will benefit from the innovations of the Neue Klasse – regardless of the drive technology.”
Earlier this year, it confirmed that the iX3 would be the first model released on the Neue Klasse EV platform.
However, despite jumping into electrification with both feet, it seems BMW believes that the future isn’t just electric.
Board member Jochen Goller told Autocar India that he thinks ICE engines are here to stay.
“ICE and combustion will never disappear. Never,” he said.
Goller’s comments come just weeks after BMW head of global powertrain production, Klaus von Moltke, said the ‘combustion engine is our foundation’.
Looking to the future, BMW predicts that by 2030, its yearly sales will be split pretty evenly between electric vehicles and ICE cars.
Last year, electric vehicles made up just 17.4 percent of the carmaker’s annual sales.
It’s not the only carmaker who thinks gas-powered cars are here to stay
BMW isn’t the only carmaker that reckons ICE vehicles aren’t going anywhere.
Back in June, Lamborghini said it had no plans to stop making gas-powered vehicles.
“If you speak about the future of combustion for sure, for us, we are aiming to continue as long as possible,” Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr said.
“We still think that we have a lot of ideas to transport, let me say, the combustion future.”
McLaren’s CEO has also shared similar sentiments.
In a recent interview, he said the ‘internal combustion [engine] is going to play the majority role of this brand for a really long period of time’.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
