BMW Signals Rolls-Royce Engine Lives On

BMW has supplied one of many clearest alerts but that Euro 7 isn’t going to routinely wipe out its combustion portfolio — and, by extension, that Rolls-Royce’s V12 nonetheless has a path ahead.

In feedback given to Autocar, BMW growth boss Joachim Publish mentioned the corporate expects it will possibly meet Euro 7 necessities by way of focused optimization of the exhaust aftertreatment system — particularly upgrades and refinements round objects just like the catalysts — moderately than needing to develop fully new internal-combustion engines at huge value. The subtext is that BMW believes it’s already working from a powerful baseline, with fashionable engines designed to deal with stricter emissions limits by way of {hardware} and calibration evolution, not a ground-up reboot.

The Market Is Shifting

Publish additionally confirmed that BMW’s subsequent line-up will proceed to span four-, six-, eight-, and 12-cylinder engines. That issues as a result of BMW itself not sells a V12 beneath the roundel — the final chapter successfully ended with the model’s flagship luxurious fashions — however the BMW Group nonetheless has one very high-profile residence for twelve cylinders: Rolls-Royce. Publish’s remarks explicitly maintain the door open for that engine to proceed, suggesting the regulatory hurdle of Euro 7 is manageable sufficient that it doesn’t drive a direct finish to the V12 at Goodwood.

This is available in contract with earlier statements. In 2023, former Rolls-Royce CEO Törsten Müller-Ötvos advised Car Magazine “We additionally made the choice that this automobile you could possibly not get electrical and combustion. The Spectre is simply electrical. All future Rolls-Royces, new ones, will probably be solely electrical, while sustaining what Rolls-Royce stands for. This ought to be probably the most dynamic RR ever in historical past. And it’s.”

However with the market shifting again to combustion-powered automobiles, it is smart the British luxurious market plans to maintain their V12s alive. Publish’s feedback reinforce the concept that Rolls-Royce can broaden its EV providing with out having to right away erase the V12 from the order e book.

Unlikely To See A V12 In A BMW Automobile

On the similar time, it’s vital to not misinterpret this as an indication BMW is making ready a V12 comeback of its personal. If something, the alternative is extra possible. BMW’s mainstream enterprise case for twelve cylinders has largely evaporated: demand is area of interest, the engineering effort is tough to justify in opposition to tightening laws and company fleet targets, and BMW can already ship flagship-level efficiency with its six- and eight-cylinder engines — more and more assisted by hybrid programs — whereas EVs take over extra of the halo and know-how narrative.

[Source: Autocar]