It’s no secret that hybrids and electric cars are the future. As dinosaur fuel dies, electrons are taking over and it’s an inevitable change. And that change might also be changing the way we look at BMW.
Whereas BMWs of the past have always been about driving, with driver-focused cabins, heavy and direct steering and suspensions that were on the firmer side of comfortable, BMWs have always been cars for people who love to drive. But now, as cars become more connected, electrified and complicated, BMW is starting to be seen as more of a car technology company than a driver’s car company.
With each and every BMW model getting its own plug-in hybrid variant soon, it’s obvious the Bavarians are on board with making the switch from performance to technology. And while those two don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive, with cars like the BMW i8 showing us that electric cars can still be fun, the image they give off is one of tech and frugality. Not performance.
Turn on the TV for an hour and it’s likely you’ll see a BMW commercial featuring some sort of new technology. Whether it be for the BMW 330e and 740e hybrids or the BMW i3 or even some sort of autonomous driving technology, it’s never proper driving anymore. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a BMW M car?
So there seems to be a culture change going on at BMW. Now obviously the brand still knows how to make proper driving cars, the BMW M2 and M4 GTS are proof of that. But it seems as if hybrids and technology are sort of what embodies the modern BMW brand. So is the new face of BMW not the high-performance pure driving machines of the past but plug-in hybrids?
[Source: Road & Track]
