BMW Plans to Keep Building Cars With V-12 Engines
BMW is readying its next-generation EVs, but that doesn’t mean it’s done with the combustion engine just yet.
The German automaker’s chief technology officer, Joachim Post, revealed that the company has already taken steps to make sure its largest engines remain compliant in the face of stricter emissions guidelines. This includes its biggest mill, the V-12, which is currently used by one of its more famous brands, Rolls-Royce.
During an interview with Autocar, the executive told the publication that the Euro 7 emission standard that will go into effect later this year does not represent a threat to the company’s larger ICE engines. Post said that the mills that will go into BMW’s future vehicles, no matter the displacement, were engineered to meet the more demanding emission limits without trouble.
The sixth-generation 7 Series was the last BMW available with a V-12
BMW
“We can fulfil Euro 7 with some optimization in the exhaust system—with things like the catalysts—so that’s why we have a big advantage in that Euro 7 is not that high an investment for us,” he told the British magazine.
Post’s comments come at a time when the automaker is preparing for the launch of its much-hyped Neue Klasse EVs. The first, the iX3 SUV, is expected to go on sale early this year, the i3 sedan before the end of 2026, and the electric M3 at some point in 2027. The next-generation 3 Series won’t just be available with an electric motor, though. The company plans to offer it, and other future models, with multiple powertrain options.
The executive also confirmed that the automaker’s future lineup will feature cars with four-, six-, eight-, and 12-cylinder engines. It’s unclear if the last of those mills will be featured in an upcoming BMW or a model made by one of the brands owned by BMW Group, like Rolls-Royce. The last BMW with a 12-cylinder engine was the M760i Final Edition, which was released in 2022. A 6.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-12 can currently be found in the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Ghost, and Phantom, though.
Of course, as outlets like Motor1.com have pointed out, there could soon be a new BMW that a V-12 would suit quite nicely. On Jan. 1, the automaker took over its longtime tuning partner Alpina and plans to use the newly formed BMW Alpina sub-brand to release ultra-luxe cars and SUVs that offer “maximum performance.” What better way to make this true than by equipping one of these models with a 12 cylinder?
