Tag Archives: Combustion engines

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BMW Isn’t Done with Big Engines—Not Even Close

Just when it felt like Europe’s regulatory vise was about to squeeze the last drops of fuel from anything with more than four cylinders, BMW is here with a message that will warm the hearts of internal-combustion loyalists: the big engines aren’t going anywhere. Not yet, anyway.

Speaking from Munich, BMW has confirmed that its six-, eight-, and even twelve-cylinder engines remain very much alive—and, more importantly, compliant. According to the company, the next generation of its larger internal-combustion engines will meet the upcoming Euro 7 emissions standards, expected to take effect before the end of the decade. For an industry scrambling to electrify everything that moves, that’s no small claim.

Joachim Post, BMW’s head of technology, told British media that customers can continue to expect inline-sixes and V-8s in future BMW models. That alone would be enough to raise an eyebrow—but Post went further. He also hinted at the return of the V-12 to BMW-branded cars, a powertrain that officially exited the lineup when the M760i bowed out. Since then, BMW’s 12-cylinder masterpiece has lived exclusively under the hoods of Rolls-Royce models like the Ghost, Phantom, and Cullinan.

Now the rumor mill is spinning. Unofficially, the latest evolution of BMW’s V-12 could resurface in a hyper-exclusive model wearing the Alpina badge. With Alpina now operating as an official BMW sub-brand, the door is wide open for a flagship luxury sedan that blends old-school excess with modern emissions wizardry—and probably a price tag to match.

BMW’s commitment to combustion doesn’t stop there. The next-generation M3 has already been confirmed with a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, and it’s set to arrive a year after the debut of the first fully electric M3, which is scheduled to break cover next year. The M4 coupe is also expected to follow into the next generation, ensuring that Munich’s performance division isn’t betting the farm on electrons alone.

The bigger picture is clear: BMW is hedging its bets—and doing it better than most. By continuing to develop internal-combustion, hybrid, and fully electric powertrains in parallel, the brand is positioning itself to serve nearly every kind of buyer, from EV early adopters to die-hard gasoline purists. The European Union’s softening stance on a total internal-combustion ban after 2035 certainly doesn’t hurt.

And the numbers back up BMW’s caution. Last year, 82 percent of global sales across the BMW Group—including Rolls-Royce and MINI—still came from vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines.

In other words, reports of the straight-six’s death have been greatly exaggerated. If BMW has its way, the future won’t be electric-only—it’ll be anything but boring.

Source: Autocar

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The Internal-Combustion Engine Refuses to Die

For one brief, shiny moment, it looked like the internal-combustion engine was on borrowed time. Automakers were tripping over themselves to announce all-electric futures, governments were sharpening the knives with hard deadlines, and anyone still talking about pistons and camshafts sounded like they’d missed the memo. Then something interesting happened: reality showed up.

Yes, last month electric cars outsold gasoline-powered cars in Europe for the first time. That’s a milestone worth acknowledging. But at the same time—and this is the part that complicates the neat “EVs win, ICE loses” narrative—car companies quietly started writing very large checks to keep gasoline and diesel alive.

Five years ago, the script felt settled. EVs would surge, internal combustion would fade, and by the mid-2030s we’d all be driving silently into the future. Today, the plot has thickened. Instead of planning funerals for combustion engines, manufacturers are extending their life expectancy—and spending billions to do it.

General Motors’ recent $888 million investment in its Tonawanda, New York, plant is a perfect example. The money will keep GM’s V8 engines alive and kicking, marking the largest single investment the company has ever made in an internal-combustion facility. In an era supposedly defined by kilowatts and charging curves, that’s a thunderous vote of confidence in eight cylinders and gasoline.

Stellantis is making similar noises. Chrysler plans to pour $13 billion into U.S. manufacturing, including new internal-combustion development. A large SUV with a traditional engine is on the way, as is a midsize truck. The HEMI V8 has already clawed its way back into the Ram 1500 lineup, and Dodge has restarted V6 production for the Durango. If you thought the muscle-era hardware was headed straight for the museum, think again.

This isn’t just nostalgia talking. At the IAA Mobility show in Munich, Horse Powertrains—an engine supplier owned by Geely—unveiled its compact C15 engine, a small-displacement unit making between 94 and 161 horsepower with a turbocharger. More importantly, it’s fuel-flexible, capable of running on gasoline, ethanol, methanol, or synthetic fuels. That kind of adaptability suggests a future where internal combustion doesn’t disappear, but evolves.

Mazda, long the industry’s most charming contrarian, went full Mazda at the Japan Mobility Show. The company showed a rotary-engine concept tied to microalgae that capture carbon emissions. Mazda claims the algae’s oil can be refined into a carbon-neutral fuel to power a hybrid system. It’s delightfully weird—and very on brand.

Meanwhile, the usual suspects are quietly at work. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are developing new V8s. Nissan is refining gasoline engines with fuel-saving technology. Honda is preparing a new V6 hybrid. Toyota, never one to put all its eggs in a single basket, is working on a new V8. In China, engineers continue pushing thermal-efficiency limits for gasoline engines, squeezing more work out of every drop of fuel.

Policy has shifted, too. In the U.S., President Trump scrapped the previous administration’s target of 50 percent EV sales by 2030 and eliminated the $7,500 federal tax credit for new electric cars. Not coincidentally, EV sales in the U.S. dipped after incentives disappeared. In Europe, regulators softened their stance as well. Instead of a total ban on combustion engines from 2035, the EU lowered emissions targets from a 100-percent reduction to 90 percent compared to 2021 levels—leaving the door open for hybrids well into the next decade.

None of this means the EV revolution is over. Far from it. Global electric-vehicle sales continue to climb and are expected to hit around 25 percent of the new-car market by year’s end—more than 20 million vehicles. Europe remains a growth engine for EVs, and electrification is still the long-term goal for most automakers.

What has changed is the timeline—and the certainty. Rather than betting everything on a rapid, all-electric leap, manufacturers are hedging. They’re developing EVs and internal-combustion vehicles in parallel, acknowledging that infrastructure, consumer behavior, regulation, and economics don’t all move at the same speed.

The takeaway? Reports of the internal-combustion engine’s death were, as it turns out, premature. Gasoline and diesel aren’t winning the future—but they’ve been granted a stay of execution. And judging by the billions being invested, they’re not going quietly.

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EU’s 2035 Combustion-Car Ban Is Dead—And the Industry Just Hit the Reset Button

In a plot twist worthy of a season finale, the European Union has effectively scrapped its 2035 ban on new combustion-engine cars, upending years of policy planning, industry investment, and political messaging. The bombshell came not from a leaked memo or late-night committee vote, but from Manfred Weber—president of the EPP, the European Parliament’s largest party—who told German outlet Bild that the legislation is “off the table.”

If confirmed, the move marks a seismic shift away from the EU’s previous 100% CO₂-reduction requirement for new vehicles by 2035, which would have forced manufacturers to sell only EVs. Instead, Weber says the EU will adopt more flexible fleet emissions rules, mandating a 90% cut in CO₂ output from new cars starting in 2035. Crucially, that remaining 10% gives combustion engines—likely running on synthetic or low-carbon fuels—a lease on life.

Weber doubled down, adding that no complete phaseout will be imposed in 2040 either. “The technology ban on combustion engines is off the table,” he said, framing the move as a lifeline for European manufacturing: “This secures tens of thousands of industrial jobs,” and sends an “important signal to the entire automotive industry.”

For automakers, that signal is clarity—something in short supply lately.

Just days ago, reports suggested the EU was considering pushing the ban from 2035 to 2040, aligning policy with more cautious EV-adoption forecasts and intense lobbying from heavyweights like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, BMW, and Stellantis. Instead, the EU appears ready to tear up the 2021 rulebook entirely.

This pivot reflects a political and industrial reality: EV sales are rising, but not fast enough to meet the aggressive targets set earlier this decade. Charging infrastructure remains uneven, battery costs are stubborn, and consumer hesitation has proven more resilient than anticipated. Europe’s largest automakers—some already navigating declining EV orders—have been increasingly vocal about the need for a slower, more flexible transition.

The official announcement is expected on Tuesday, December 16, but Weber’s comments leave little doubt about where the EU is heading.

The UK Question

What happens next for the UK—once the first major economy to propose its own ICE sales ban back in 2020—remains unclear. The country’s EV adoption rate is higher than the EU average, but still trails significantly behind government targets (28% by 2025). A dramatic policy reversal in Europe will inevitably pressure Westminster to reassess its own roadmap, especially as automakers weigh where to invest in future combustion-engine production.

What This Means

If confirmed, the EU’s decision doesn’t kill the EV revolution—but it does recalibrate the speed. Internal combustion, once considered in hospice care, is now back on its feet and training for a much longer race. Expect more hybrid tech, more investment in e-fuels, and manufacturers reshuffling product plans they thought were set in stone.

In short: the next decade of the European car market just became a lot more interesting.

Source: Autocar