BMW's i division, in which the "i" stands for innovation, has been responsible for two of the most radical departures from BMW's traditional performance-luxury formula. The BMW i3 electric vehicle was built as an urban green mobility vehicle that runs purely on battery power, while the BMW i8’s futuristic styling, carbon-fiber and aluminum chassis, and outstanding performance is still being praised two years after its introduction.
Whatever BMW i will bring to market to follow the first two i cars will have to be equally innovative, with performance, features, and luxury that will attract BMW traditionalists and converts from other marques alike.
The problem is, BMW i will have to do all of this without some of the top people who put the "i" in BMW i—because they are now working in China. Talk about radical departures…
Benoit Jacob designed the BMW i8. Dirk Abendroth worked on powertrain development for the BMW i3 and i8. Henrik Wenders was BMW i’s chief of product management. The Wall Street Journal reported that all three have moved to Future Mobility Corporation, an electric vehicle startup company underwritten by China’s Tencent Holdings.
These three key players in BMW’s electric mobility program follow another key BMW i figure. Former BMW vice president for development of the i8, Carsten Breitfeld, a 20-year veteran of the company, left BMW a few months ago to become CEO of Future Mobility.
The latest three departures from BMW i have not been confirmed by the BMW Group. Since the company has not yet acknowledged the loss of these three executives, it naturally has not indicated what effect their departures will have on development of the next BMW i vehicle that BMW AG CEO Harald Krüger confirmed last month. That vehicle that some observers have called the BMW i5, is due within the next four or five years.
Future Mobility is one of several startup companies in China that are receiving backing by technology companies to help the country achieve the government-set goal of producing 2,000,000 electric vehicles by 2020. Currently, less than 1 percent of China auto production is alternative-energy vehicles. Clearly, the hiring of former BMW i talent is a significant step toward increasing that production figure.
BMW has grown to become one of the best companies in the world for which to work. If any firm can fill those slots quickly and keep BMW i on track, it’s probably BMW. As fans of i cars, we hope so.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of BMW AG.]
