BMW's Latest Electric Car Will Have Chinese DNA

KatadataOTO – The rapid development of the Chinese automotive industry has led various global brands to involve Chinese manufacturers in the development of electric vehicles.

In the latest report, the German luxury car brand, BMW, has reportedly chosen the Chinese technology company Momenta to collaborate on providing ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System).

This move was previously also made by Mercedes-Benz. They had already partnered with Momenta for a collaboration.

Quoted from Carnewschina, Tuesday (15/07), the BMW electric car that will use ADAS from the Chinese brand is the iX3, part of the Neue Klasse series.

Photo : BMW

Mass production of the BMW iX3 will begin in the second half of this year at BMW's assembly facility in Hungary, and it will be officially launched to consumers at the end of 2025.

It was further explained that all vehicle lines in the Neue Klasse series will be equipped with ADAS from Momenta. Besides the iX3 SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), there is also the BMW i3 sedan.

In China, the collaboration with Momenta is claimed to be BMW's main asset in competing with other local rivals such as Li Auto, Aito, Xiaomi, and Nio.

Not only electric cars, all Neue Klasse models will also include hybrid cars. Thus, it is hoped to provide variety to customers.

China's Role Behind Famous Automotive Brands

BMW is not the first brand to involve Chinese manufacturers in the development of electric cars.

Famous Japanese brands like Toyota have already taken that step. China's involvement makes Toyota's product line more feature-rich and sold at competitive prices.

For example, the Toyota bZ3X. Just a few months after its launch, 20,000 units of the model have been delivered to consumers.

This is because the price of the Toyota bZ3X is considered competitive in China, starting from 109,800 yuan or around Rp 248.9 million. 

With that price tag, consumers can get the latest technology, including a Lidar sensor.

Photo : BMW

Nissan has also partnered with local manufacturer Dongfeng Motor to produce the N7 electric sedan.

The two have garnered a positive response from local consumers. Nissan even plans to sell the N7 and other models to the global market.

However, there have been no similar collaborations in Indonesia. Thus, it is unlikely that collaborative products from Japanese brands in China will be launched in Indonesia.