BMW optimistic about electrified car prospects in China

DETROIT - With an eye to launching more electrified vehicles in China, German automaker BMW is optimistic about selling more such eco-friendly cars in the world's fastest-growing market, BMW chief financial officer Nicolas Peter told Xinhua at an auto show here.

"China is a very important market to the BMW group. Last year, we nearly sold 600,000 cars in China, which is underlining the relevance and importance of China for BMW," Nicolas said at the North American International Auto Show, one of the world's most influential auto events. The show was opened on Monday.

Selling over 2.4 million vehicles, the BMW Group achieved its best-ever annual sales globally in 2017, the seventh consecutive year in which it hit new records.

BMW is among the pioneers of electrified vehicles. Since launching its first fully electric i3 sedan in 2013, the automaker has sold more than 200,000 electrified cars worldwide.

In 2017, BMW delivered more than 100,000 electrified vehicles to customers worldwide. "Next milestone is in 2019. By 2019 we will have sold half a million electrified cars," Nicolas said.

"A clear strategy is to further develop this technology. By 2025, we will have a total of 25 electrified models on the market. Twelve of them are fully electrified and 13 plug-in hybrid," he added.

For BMW's i electric brand launched in 2011, the company has already secured the naming rights from i1 to i9, as well as from iX1 to iX9. In 2019, the company will reveal a fully electric MINI, followed by the electric version of X3 in 2020 and the brand's new technology flagship, the BMW iNext, in 2021.

By 2025, almost one in four cars sold by BMW will be electrified, Nicolas said. "I am optimistic that we will see a growth in our sales number of electric powered cars in China."

BMW has already launched the plug-in hybrid version of X1 and X5 Series in China. Nicholas said the company is working hard to bring more electrified models to the country.