The 2025 Shanghai Auto Show opened on April 23. Among the nearly 1,000 exhibitors, there is no doubt that BMW's booth is very eye-catching and is the one that best fits the theme of this auto show, "Embrace Innovation."
On that day, the BMW Group unveiled more than 30 new models and a number of innovative technologies from its three major brands, BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad. BMW Group Chairman Zipse appeared at the press conference with a smile on his face, bringing the culmination of BMW's innovative achievements - the new generation. This was his third visit to China in 30 days.
BMW Group Chairman Zipse
After the press conference, Zipse accepted an exclusive interview with the media. His answers gradually unfolded around the three keywords "new generation", "innovation" and "China". "Every time I come back, I am impressed by China's technological progress and innovative vitality." He said in response to a question from a reporter from The Paper: "China is not only the world's largest auto market, but also the world's most dynamic auto market. If you can excel in China, you can excel in the world."
The new generation is not just a new car or a platform
New Generation is the theme of the BMW booth at the Shanghai Auto Show, and the topic of the conversation also starts with New Generation. Zipse emphasized that New Generation is not just a new car or a platform, but the culmination of all the technological breakthroughs and innovative achievements made by the BMW Group over the years, and its achievements will be applied to every new car that BMW will mass-produce in the future. At the same time, New Generation is the largest investment since the establishment of the BMW Group, bringing a new architecture, a new design language, and innovative achievements such as large cylindrical batteries.
At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, the BMW New Generation X Concept Car made its debut in China, giving us a glimpse of the future BMW New Generation mass-produced models. It is reported that the BMW Group has created a new generation of intelligent electronic and electrical architecture for each new generation model, as well as three breakthrough innovative technologies - BMW's first panoramic iDrive, BMW's unique BMW driving control super brain (Heart of Joy), and revolutionary large cylindrical battery, which will revolutionize the fun of intelligent driving.
"The driving control super brain is a core of the new generation of driving pleasure concept cars. 'Ultimate driving machine' is synonymous with BMW. With the support of the driving control super brain, we have pushed the control experience to a new height." Zipse said, "The horizon panoramic display, I believe we will be imitated soon, because this solution is so thorough in reducing the visual burden in the car."
"Last week, I once again test-drove the new generation model with the directors for eight hours, including on rural roads in Bavaria, Germany. The new generation's driving dynamics are excellent," Zipse said. "The first new generation model will be unveiled in Europe in the second half of this year, and the new generation model built specifically for the Chinese market will be unveiled in China next year."
It was revealed that the first new-generation model exclusively for China is the BMW iX3L, which has now rolled off the production line in Shenyang and started comprehensive testing.
"A lot of the design elements and technological innovations of this new generation model come from China, and we are very proud of it." Zipse said that the new generation is a global model, but many of its technologies come from China, and it is tailored for Chinese consumers. The core battery and battery cell components of the new generation model that will be unveiled at the end of this year are from Chinese partners such as CATL and EVE Energy, with whom we have had in-depth cooperation for many years. This year, DeepSeek will be connected to the car, and recently we have also started cooperation with Alibaba in the field of large language models.
BMW will launch a strong product offensive, represented by the new generation of BMW models. In 2025, the BMW Group plans to launch more than 10 new models in China; from 2026 to 2027, it will launch more than 20 new BMW models, including new generation models.
Invention is not the same as innovation. Good innovation allows users to use without risk.
BMW's largest R&D footprint outside of Germany is in China. Currently, BMW has more than 600 AI applications worldwide, and about 200 AI applications in China.
"Our innovations and important R&D results in China will feed back into BMW's global solutions. We hope to put the best innovations from anywhere in the world into the products delivered to our customers," Zipse said. "Technical cooperation between China and Germany is very important to us. We will continue to expand our R&D footprint and related capabilities in China in the future. We have full confidence in the Chinese market."
But he also stressed that invention is not the same as innovation. "It is particularly important for the automotive industry to distinguish between these two concepts. Inventions are great, but if we put all inventions on cars and fail to apply them correctly, there may be certain risks. BMW believes that innovative solutions are reliable and safe, and there is no risk for users to use them. This is truly good innovation."
"So many years of experience have taught us that as a car manufacturer, we must strike a good balance between what we cannot give in and what we cannot compromise on, and we must strike a good balance in the process of innovation." Zipse has always emphasized the principle of safety first. "In the electric age, everyone is competing in parameters, horsepower and speed, but cars are ultimately driven frequently, and the driving experience is very important." BMW believes that the development of automobiles is not the accumulation of parameters, nor the simple stacking of new technologies, but rather overall optimization and systematic integration.
“We don’t think more is better. On the contrary, less is better. Only technologies that customers can use, dare to use and can use are good technologies.”
He further explained, "Too much technology in the car will interfere with the driver. BMW has never been a fan of big screens. The screen is too big, too noisy, and too conspicuous. BMW's style is not to equip the car with too large a screen, but to adhere to the ergonomic design concept to create an ultimate and safe driving experience, and insist that the driver 'keep his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road'."
"If you bought a BMW ten years ago and still like it ten years later, that's the brand image we want to build," Zipse said. "Making a BMW car timeless is a core capability."
"The automotive industry is not a sprint, but more like a triathlon. Only those who have comprehensive advantages in all aspects can be the winners in the market." Zipse believes that profitability is very important in the automotive industry. A company must be profitable to survive in the long run and create products that consumers need. "I believe that in the next 12-18 months, we will see the Chinese automotive industry develop in a healthier and more sustainable direction, paying more attention to the real needs of consumers and consumer safety."
