Global viewpoints: Europe embraces the AT-factor
BMW 'driven by engineering'
 Burkhard Göschel is a Member of the Board, BMW, responsible for Development and Purchasing. He said high technology does not entail a dramatic increase in cost. |
Technology applied to vehicles and their manufacture should be used to enhance efficiency in every respect: to improve reliability, quality, performance, longevity, and ease of use. But the danger that advanced technology brings is that it can also add complexity.
"One clear example of that is information technology," said Burkhard Göschel, Member of the Board of BMW with responsibility for Development and Purchasing. "We are getting much more information into cars today. We have navigation systems, a telephone—and even the Internet, with e-mail, online shopping, etc. But we still have to drive our cars as well as handle so much additional information. We realized that we had to handle the organization of this information to simplify the tasks. A driver's eyes must be used for driving, so it is necessary to organize the interior of today's car as an ergonomic concept.
"We call our system iDrive—the 'i' is for 'intuitive.' It is a single control for many functions, is easy to handle, and lacks the necessity to be looked at when driving the car. It connects to a screen easily seen by the driver, so we can make a complex situation simple, and the iDrive system allows far more freedom for new interior design. Many people are now familiar with the use of a PC mouse, and I believe they will integrate successfully with our system."
But does the development of high-technology solutions like iDrive (which will be fitted to the next-generation 7-series sedan) add cost? "It is not a cost issue," Göschel said. "High technology does not naturally combine with a dramatic increase in cost because you are integrating functions. This does not only apply to information technology. In the future when using drive-by-wire technology, it may be that more and more systems will be integrated—connected to each other—such as steering and brakes. Integrating mechatronics into a car makes it possible to get far more functions without a dramatic increase in costs. Look what has been added to cars in the past 20 years: ABS, airbags, and far more. But there has been no large increase in the price of the car paid by the customer. As more systems are integrated by more car manufacturers, a learning curve is created, and steadily the options become standard equipment."
Being a technology leader is one of BMW's most important assets, according to Göschel. The company has established a premium-car product range with a wide span, from the new 3-series Compact to the aluminum-bodied Z8 sports car, while the X5 has brought a new dimension to SUV design. BMW also is willing to show bold concept designs, some of which have indicated the company's belief in the diesel engine as a possible power unit for high-performance sports coupes.
 BMW considers its X5 as an international success. |
"We are an engineering company driven by engineers, and our CEO is an engineer," Göschel said. "We do not have to lead in every aspect of technology, but there is one area that is of great importance to us: our core value of dynamics. And not just dynamics for the product, but also for our organization and people."
Of the technologies needed to achieve the dynamic efficiency required by the company, Göschel places electronics first. "It is important because mechatronics drives systems through electronics," he explained. "Electronics facilitates the new control systems, and this is an area where we want to be far ahead."
Also vital to BMW, common to the rest of the automotive manufacturing industry, is the ability to shorten development times. Göschel noted that BMW, with only one prototype group, can realize a new model in only 30 months. "I do not believe that buyers of our products worry in any way about such short development times—as long as the quality is right," he said.
Cost pressures, Göschel said, "influence our activities, but because we make premium products with top-of-the-line technology, we have a price advantage compared to other manufacturers. This gives us more freedom to realize targets that cannot be achieved by a high-volume producer. We spend a lot of money on development because people want quality from us. We design with quality."
After BMW's unhappy relationship with Rover (BMW bought it in 1994 and parted with it in 2000), the question of possible business alliances may not be one of the German company's favorite topics. However, BMW has an alliance with DaimlerChrysler via the Tritech company in Brazil for the supply of 1.6-L engines (naturally aspirated and, for the Cooper S, supercharged) for the MINI. "And we are discussing with another manufacturer the possibility of a diesel engine for the MINI," Göschel said. "We are open to the possibility of some kind of cooperation—a network—with other car manufacturers and suppliers."
Alternative fuels is another area where cooperation and alliances can offset costs. "Hydrogen is the fuel for the future, and we are pushing its use very, very hard," Göschel said. "We are cooperating with other companies on this, but not other OEMs. We want to use carbon-free fuels and believe we will end up with hydrogen as our energy source. We regard it as a logical progression, and it allows us to run bi-fuel cars fitted with both gasoline and hydrogen tanks. We regard the internal-combustion engine as having distinct advantages over the fuel cell. The fuel cell still raises fundamental questions of cost, weight, and size. We are not yet convinced (of the fuel cell's viability), although we regard it as ideal for producing electricity under steady-state conditions. We have a project with Delphi for generating onboard electric energy for the car, powering an APU (auxiliary power unit). The system is based on the use of gasoline. But I am very cautious about using the fuel cell for motive power. I am not sure at all if it will be a success."
 The Z8 sports car has an aluminum body on a spaceframe. |
BMW places emphasis on the safety systems fitted to its products. Göschel foresees further advances in body structure design and in the use of mechatronics to bring further advances to safety. "Pre-crash sensors—perhaps using optical systems—could be installed to ensure that a car would be positioned either to avoid a crash or to reduce its effect if it becomes inevitable," he said. "Steering, brakes, airbags, and restraint systems could all be part of mechatronic systems of this type." Aluminum has good crash performance, Göschel added while expressing reservations about its use for higher-volume car bodyshells. BMW's very-low-volume (10 a day) two-seat Z8 has an aluminum body on a spaceframe. Göschel sees that combination, rather than a unitary design, as having future possibilities for aluminum. "Our target is to constantly improve dynamics," he said. "We can increase power output, but we also need to reduce weight. Aluminum is interesting in that respect, as is the use of magnesium for engine and gearboxes."
E-commerce is gaining momentum in the automotive industry, and BMW is "on the way with it," Göschel said. The company is using it mainly for paying bills and ordering, not so much for "the technology side."
Involvement in motorsports is more important to some companies than others, and BMW is very much in the former category with its Formula One participation. "It is important for technology and for image—technology because we are developing it by ourselves for F1 applications, which means we are learning a lot about materials, electronics, and dynamics," Göschel said. "We are doing the electronic system for the drivetrain by ourselves, too. There are many aspects from which we get paybacks from this investment. With dynamics as our main core value, F1 shows up team-working—and being fast."
As BMW watches the unfolding international success of its X5 and introduces the Compact to complete the 3-series range, Göschel has one particular worry: "We are not getting enough of the right type of people with the right type of education. Qualifications need to be changed. With mechatronics coming, we should have more engineers that know more about information technologies, or we need computer specialists who know something about cars. There is not just a shortage of these people in Germany; it is a worldwide problem. I hope the situation will improve, because we need them."
