The issue of climate protection and carbon emissions is getting more serious. The climate change is happening fast, even though this is not so much visible to our naked eyes. The number of environmental disasters around the world is on the rise. With the fast economic growth, China is also facing worsening emission problem and the pressing need to adopt energy-saving measures and clean energy strategy.

The BMW Group is a company that is deep-rooted in society. We assume active responsibility at all locations and in all markets. For us, economic success and responsibility go hand in hand.

Therefore the BMW Group has long been working on sustainable mobility concepts, called as BMW Efficientdynamics Strategy. For the long term: hydrogen, for the medium term: hybrid and at present: efficient engines and hybridization.

First: hydrogen. With current standards of technology, hydrogen is the only energy source that can be burned almost without emissions. BMW Group has done research in this field for 25 years. Our Hydrogen 7 is the world’s first premium sedan that runs both on hydrogen and petrol. This is proof that driving without fossil fuels and without carbon emissions is feasible.

Of course, there are still questions to be answered, such as the generation of hydrogen from regenerative energies. And of course, a comprehensive infrastructure has to be established. But the first step has been taken. The technology is there and it works. And it is suitable for series production.

At present, political and business leaders worldwide are experiencing the H7 in everyday life. We have also brought five H7 vehicles to China. The BMW Hydrogen 7 will have series activities in China in 2007 to support China’s clean energy policy.

Second: hybrid. We at BMW are developing hybrid systems for large vehicles such as the BMW 7 Series. This hybrid is supposed to offer considerable fuel consumption advantages also outside of towns and cities, in overland traffic. This is a weak point of the hybrids currently available on the market.

Third: further optimization of combustion engines and hybridization. We have been lowering our vehicles’ fuel consumption and improving driving dynamics at the same time for years. Our BMW EfficientDynamics Strategy assures future success. We have met our customers demand for sheer driving pleasure and have protected the environment.

This mainly applies to our efficient engines. Above all to the new BMW four-cylinder petrol engines with direct injection and lean-burn mode as well as the latest generation of BMW four-cylinder diesel engines.

Together with the other measures, they lower consumption, depending on the model, by up to 20 per cent. In Germany alone, we have lowered BMW fleet consumption by almost 30 per cent between 1990 and 2005 as part of the self-commitment assumed by the Association of German Automobile Manufacturers.This is truly an enormous leap. Our economic engines and all other BMW EfficientDynamics measures are to be applied to the entire fleet step by step.

This benefit also applies to the BMW models we already launched or will launch this year in China, such as the new generation of X5 and 3 Series convertible and other products.

By Dr. Christoph Stark
(President & CEO, BMW Group Region China)