BMW is keeping its promise of a leaner and more efficient lineup – and now it has a deadline. First announced last year in its press release to mark the end of 2019 fiscal year, the BMW Group, which includes Mini and Rolls-Royce, is cutting down its drivetrain variants by 50 percent. In this year’s version, the German marque has given itself a deadline. In a press release, the company said, “We are reducing complexity, with fewer variants and fewer drive trains – keeping only those for which there is real demand: About half the current drive train variants will no longer be offered by 2025.”

BMW is going to evaluate its current bevy of drivetrain options in its lineup. The popular BMW X3 alone has four drivetrain options, including the China-built all-electric iX3. With the newly-affirmed commitment, we can expect the automaker to measure the demand for each of these drivetrain options, leaving those that have an actual demand for. In short, if the world prefers all-electric BMWs over the conventional ones, then so be it. But of course, numbers will determine the decision, but we can expect more changes in the BMW lineup within a few years’ time.

This move is in line with BMW’s commitment to expanding electrification within its lineup. The German marque reports that 2020 gave its electric vehicles a real boost. Sales of fully electric vehicles were up 13 percent, while plug-in hybrids were up by 40 percent – a combined increase of a third over 2019. Then again, BMW isn’t forgetting its high-performance models and reports that the BMW M division reported its best year in 2020.