German carmaker BMW wants to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent in the coming year in order to meet new EU environmental regulations, board chairman Oliver Zipse said on Wednesday.
A third of this goal will be fulfilled thanks to more efficient combustion engines and the remaining two thirds by switching to electric-powered vehicles, Zipse said at an industry event in Bochum, Germany, according to a transcript of his speech.
"We will achieve our goals," he added.
BMW has not yet released its emissions data for 2019. However, the Munich-based auto giant is not expected to improve much on the 128 grams of CO2 per kilometre reported in 2018.
Carmakers in the European Union must reduce their average CO2 emissions per kilometre for new cars to 95 grams by 2021 - a target that experts say BMW and its rival Mercedes will struggle to meet.
Transitional arrangements still apply in 2020, but failure to meet the EU targets could result in penalties running into billions depending on the size of the manufacturer.
BMW is aiming to boost its electrified models to make up 25 percent of its fleet as early as next year, growing further to a third by 2025. In three years, Zipse hopes to have 25 electric-powered BMW models available, around half of which will be purely battery powered, as opposed to using hybrid technology.
In 2018, BMW invested around 6.9 billion euros (7.5 billion dollars) in research and development. "In 2019 that amount will increase again," Zipse said.
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