BMW to accelerate new-energy development in China
German car-maker BMW expects to further accelerate the development of new-energy vehicles in the next phase of its China expansion strategy, the company said during an event held in Shanghai today.
“BMW has achieved first-mover advantage in terms of new-energy vehicles in the premium car segment," Liu Zhi, president of BMW China Automotive Trading, said. "We hope to provide sheer driving pleasure to Chinese car owners with our new-energy vehicles."
Liu added that the company will further invest in the new-energy vehicle sector in order to maintain a leading role in the market.
BMW launched a new plug-in hybrid model named BMW 530Le iPerformance today, as a further step to enrich its new-energy vehicle product line in the Chinese market.
The company currently has six new-energy vehicle models in China and a power battery plant which provides batteries for new-energy vehicles in Shenyang, Liaoning Province.
In addition to products, the company said that it has a strong sales and service network, with more than 250 dealers selling new-energy vehicles across the country.
In order to offer convenient public charging services for new-energy vehicle owners, the company will expand its charging posts to 80,000, covering more than 100 cities in China by the end of 2018.
BMW also introduced a new charging service called Park & Charge in Shanghai today. BMW’s new-energy vehicle owners can reserve parking spaces for charging via WeChat using their smartphones.
The first batch of 44 charging parking spots for BMW new-energy vehicles have been placed in Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai South Railway Station.