It plans to launch 40 models in two years using AI, claiming it now outpaces Chinese rivals with fewer people and faster tools
In recent years, Chinese carmakers have pushed boundaries not only with cutting-edge in-car tech and advanced powertrains but also with the blistering pace at which they bring new models to market. Yet according to BMW’s development director, Joachim Post, the German brand has now reached a point where it can move even faster than its rivals in China.
The brand’s Neue Klasse transformation is well underway. Not only is this new era bringing with it a radically different design philosophy, but newly launched EVs have a new platform, better motors, and more advanced batteries. As part of its overhaul, BMW is promising to release 40 new models and updates in the next two years.
Faster Than Fast
“Who can do that?,” Post asked while speaking with Handelsblatt. “Our colleagues in China can’t do that either. A single car can always be developed quite quickly. But that wasn’t the approach with the iX3 and the New Class. We have invested a lot of time and energy here to enable a major technology boost for the entire model range. Because we will only be successful if we integrate the technologies now developed into the entire model range.”
Read: Is BMW Teasing The Next i4 With This Mysterious Sedan?
With that foundation laid, the pace is now accelerating. “We can now bring cars onto the market the way you bake pretzels, as they say in Bavaria,” Post said. “Nobody will imitate us so quickly what we plan to do in the next two years. And that’s why I say, what we’re doing now is more than China Speed.”
Earlier this month, Audi said it was going “China speed” with the next-generation TT, announcing that it will hit the market just 30 months after being signed off. Evidently, German manufacturers know they must cut development times if they want to keep up in a rapidly evolving market.
AI In The Workshop
According to Post, one of the reasons BMW will be able to launch more models faster than ever before is because of AI. He explained that the technology “helps us massively,” especially in coding and software development, where tasks that once filled an entire day can now be completed in minutes. Moving forward, development times could be slashed further.
It isn’t just about saving time. According to Post, far fewer people will be needed for each new car. “Only 1,000 people will work on a new car,” he predicted, compared with the significantly larger teams required in the past.
“We’ve needed significantly more manpower in the past,” he said. “Now we can leverage much greater efficiency potential. And AI is helping us massively in this regard, for example, with coding. We’re gaining incredible speed in software development, and with it, we’re gaining additional speed in the entire development process. 
Knowledge That Stays
AI is also helping BMW retain valuable expertise. In the past, when an experienced engineer left the company, much of their know-how left with them. Now, Post explained, BMW can train AI systems to capture and preserve that knowledge, keeping it within the company and reducing the risk of competitors gaining an edge.
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Brad Anderson’s lifelong affair and fascination with cars started young. Before even graduating high school,… Read full bio

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