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BMW Might Discontinue Small Petrol & Diesel Cars Due To Stringent Emissions Norms
BMW & Mini might end up discontinuing a few of its small cars due to environmental issues and stringent emissions norms that are to come in a few countries. This threat to smaller cars from the BMW group is quite substantial specifically in some European countries.
It is no secret that our world is affected by an environmental crisis and the governments of various countries are doing their very best to reduce pollution. Most of these countries already have norms and subsidies in place for people to adopt electric vehicles faster. Some countries are now also introducing laws to phase out internal combustion engines.
While the governments of countries move towards hybridisation and electrification, some car manufacturers are struggling to keep up. BMW is one of the pioneers when it comes to electric cars. With the i3 small electric car, BMW showed that it can make a proper electric car.
With the bigger i8, BMW showed that it can create a proper hybrid drivetrain that can perform like a sportscar while still being green and environment-friendly. However, the brand is now facing a new challenge and this might result in a few small cars being discontinued.
According to a report from Autocar UK, the UKL platform on which many small cars from the BMW Group is based cannot easily accommodate hybrid powertrains. This includes most of the front-wheel-drive BMW cars and all of the Mini cars.
If these cars have to be sold in the European market in the near future, BMW will have to re-engineer them to support hybrid drivetrain. This is a sticky situation indeed and will affect models like the BMW 1 Series, 2 Series, X1, X2, Mini Cooper, Mini Countryman, Mini Clubman, etc.
More details regarding this issue are currently unavailable and more details are expected to be exposed as it develops. How BMW tackles this challenge is to be seen.
Thoughts On BMW Discontinuing Smaller Petrol/Diesel Cars Due To Stringent Emissions Norms
BMW's small cars aren't popular in the American market, while they are popular in Europe and Asia. Completely phasing these cars out isn't an option and BMW might have to completely redevelop its lineup of smaller cars. If redevelopment is the only option, it makes more sense for BMW to go the EV way instead of introducing only strong hybrids. It will have to be a new modular platform that supports both hybrid and electric drivetrain.
