The demise of the internal combustion engine has been greatly exaggerated as the ICE still has plenty of life left in it. That said, some parts of the world will abolish sales of new cars equipped with petrol and diesel engines sooner than others, and it seems more likely that Europe will be the first to make the switch to EVs. The EU's 2035 ban proposal needs to be voted to come into force, and if that happens, BMW will be ready.

As a matter of fact, CEO Oliver Zipse claims the German luxury brand is actively preparing for a hypothetical combustion engine ban that would come into place five years sooner, in 2030. Speaking at a conference held in Nuertingen near Stuttgart, the top brass questioned whether the ICE ban is a "good idea" after saying the BMW Group – including Mini and Rolls-Royce – will be ready to offer ICE-less vehicles from the next decade.

Gallery: 2022 BMW iX

"We will be ICE-ban ready. If a region, a city, a country gets the idea of banning ICEs, we have an offering. The BMW Group is not worried about this. Whether it's a good idea is another question... but we will have an offering."

Unlike some of the other luxury brands, BMW has not set a firm date for when it will discontinue all cars powered by combustion engines. Jaguar will lead the way in 2025 by switching exclusively to EVs, while Volvo and Bentley will be doing the same at the end of the decade. Mercedes has also promised to transition to zero-emissions cars from 2030, but only “where market conditions allow". Audi will end the production of petrol and diesel cars in 2033, but not in China.

BMW will not have a dedicated EV platform ready until 2025 when the Neue Klasse will pave the way for a new wave of next-gen electric cars. In the meantime, the Bavarians are bolstering their portfolio with the iX3 and iX SUVs, joined by the i4 and the upcoming 3 Series EV. In addition, the X1, 5 Series, and 7 Series successors have both been confirmed to offer an EV option.