Image via WikipediaAt the core of the strategy is engineering to reduce fuel consumption and cut emissions while at the same time further enhancing the performance of its cars.
Statistics show that from 2006 to 2008, average fuel consumption
and carbon emissions across the entire BMW fleet fell by 16 percent. For MINI, the average has been reduced by 20 percent.
and carbon emissions across the entire BMW fleet fell by 16 percent. For MINI, the average has been reduced by 20 percent.
The average of all BMW products is now of 147 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, 5 percent lower than that in 2010.
BMW Group began research into new energy vehicles some 40 years ago and supplied its 1602 electric model for use in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
The effort continues today with BMW signed on as the mobility partner for the 2012 London Olympics.
The carmaker now has 500 of its MINI E fully electric cars undergoing road tests at various locales around the world. The first round of tests in Beijing and Shenzhen were concluded in July.
But the environmental progress isn't limited to its cars - it encompasses all aspects of BMW's operations, including at the factory floor. A second plant by the carmaker's joint venture in China, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, which is scheduled to begin production next year, is designed to be one of the most advanced and energy saving plants of the automaker worldwide.
In August, the BMW Guggenheim Lab was opened in New York as prelude to a six-year program with the famed Guggenheim Museum that will explore concepts in sustainability that can balance urbanization and environmental protection.
The auto group is also is extending sustainable development to its dealerships. By the end of 2011, BMW will have its first "5S" authorized dealership in China, which in addition to conventional sales, spare parts, service and surveys, requires qualified dealers to meet standards for sustainability through contributions to local employment, the economy, the environment and community causes
source: chinadaily.com.cn
