The BMW group plans to launch a total of 40 new SUVs and electrified models by 2018

Electrified cars and SUVs are all the rage. The former have great future prospects, while crossovers have become the real best sellers of the market, and their presence in the industry seems endless; they are the preferred cars of Millennials. For this reason, many manufacturers are focusing their efforts on developing these vehicles.

The latest manufacturer to follow this strategy is the BMW group, which will produce 40 new SUV and electrified models. The BMW group has promised to launch these models by 2018 across its three premium brands: BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce.

This product renewal was announced by chief executive Harald Kruger during BMW’s annual press conference in Munich, where he confirmed that the group sold 2,367,603 vehicles in 2016, a 5.3% increase over 2015.

“We intend to launch more than 40 new models from our three premium brands during 2017 and 2018,” Kruger said. “The new product offensive got off to a successful start with the launch of the new BMW 5 Series in February.”

At the end of this year, BMW will launch a new crossover, the X2, and it is very likely to unveil the X3 facelift. In 2020, the German company will present the BMW X7. The new flagship of the brand in the SUV segment will have dimensions similar to those of the 7 Series. It is worth noting that one in every three BMW models sold worldwide is an SUV.

BMW will not be the only brand in the group to present new crossovers. Rolls Royce will enter the SUV segment with its Cullinan model. The new generation of the Phantom is also on its way, after announcing a year ago that it would stop being produced.

The chief executive of the BMW group also confirmed that the electrified range will be expanded by 2018. The next models to receive new electrified versions will be the BMW X3 and several MINI models. In 2021, BMW will launch the iNEXT, a model that will compete directly with Tesla’s saloons (Model S) and will include a highly innovative level of autonomous technology.