BMW believes that all dedicated EVs look the same, but it’s simply not true

Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, says that BMW has “very particular, high-paying customers”, who are looking for something unique.

BMW’s latest designs have been widely criticized. The M3 and M4 electric SUVs, along with the M3 & M4, have generated quite a bit of controversy because of their unusual grille designs. Officials from the company stated that they will continue to use bold designs despite negative feedback. They also said that good design does not have to be about looking pretty or ugly. The German luxury marque has now referred to designs from other companies.

Interview with Reuters CEO Oliver Zipse regarding dedicated electric cars, stated that all have a similar design. “If you look at the market for these (dedicated electrical) platforms, all the cars look the same.” BMW caters to very high-paying customers and doesn’t want cars that look the same.

Many will disagree. However, many will disagree.

We don’t have to compare cars made by different brands. The Kia EV6 is vastly different from the Hyundai Ioniq 5, even though they share the same E-GMP platform. The Genesis GV60 electric crossover has been spotted in spy shots. It will be a unique design that follows the “Two Lines” theme.

The new Nissan Ariya is also being twinned to an electric Megane crossover. This will feature an all-Renault design and the same CMF EV architecture. It’s obvious that automakers are working to create two distinct platforms for EVs. The Cupra Born will be a lot like an ID.3, however, that’s only one example of many other differentiated designs.

BMW will not have a new purpose-built BMW electric vehicle until the middle decade, as all the zero-emissions models (with one exception: the i3)) are built on platforms that were originally designed for cars with combustion engines. The iX3 mentioned above and the newly unveiled i4 both have their origins as ICE vehicles. This means that they don’t get the best packaging for dedicated EVs.

The Neue Klasse models, which will be available in 2025, will be built on a unique EV platform that features an aerodynamic-driven design and next-generation drivertrains. BMW is developing modular systems that can be scaled to meet the needs of all market segments, including the high-selling regular products and the more costly M performance cars.