CEO, who said that it is very dangerous to make car ownership only for the rich: Who is Oliver Zipse?

Zipse replaced Harald Kruger in 2019, who previously informed the company that he did not intend to hold the same role for a second term. Nobert Reithofer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BMW, said: “Oliver Zipse will be a determined and solution-oriented leader for BMW. Together with BMW, it will shape the future,” he said.

Oliver Zipse (born 7 February 1964) is a German manager who has been serving as Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) of BMW since 16 August 2019. Zipse graduated from high school in Bensheim in 1983. He studied computer science and mathematics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City from 1983 to 1985 without obtaining a degree. In 1985 he switched to mechanical engineering at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and graduated in 1991 with a degree in mechanical engineering. 

Working at BMW since 1991, Zipse actually started out as an intern. The new CEO, who has been on the Board of Directors since 2015, is known as the person who increased BMW's investments in China.

October 2022

Interesting warning from BMW CEO

While automotive manufacturers accelerated their preparations for the transition to electric vehicles, especially in order to catch the date (2035) determined by the European Union, some countries announced that they would end the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by determining their own dates. Although this issue caused serious discussions, many companies signed an agreement at the Climate Summit and promised to sell "only electric" vehicles after a certain date.

However, the criticism of these restrictions does not cease. As a matter of fact, although the companies are working on electric and alternative energy vehicles, they are against the date restrictions by official institutions. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is one of them.

In his speech while announcing his 1.7 billion dollar electric vehicle investments in the USA, he noted that imposing a date limit on the deactivation of gasoline vehicles would eliminate "cheap vehicles", meaning that many people cannot own cars. Pointing out that BMW has not set a date limit on ending the production of internal combustion engines, Zipse also warned about banning the sales of such vehicles.

Zipse argued that the withdrawal of cheap cars in the lower segments from the markets is a "politically super dangerous" situation, and said, "If you suddenly make car ownership only for the rich, it would be a very dangerous thing."

Rolls-Royce made the world debut of its first all-electric car, Specter, in October 2022. For the brand, the luxury automaker's first all-electric car represents the beginning of the transition to the electric world. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, noted that Specter is the first and that after 2030, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will only produce electric cars. The new Specter is scheduled to be delivered to its original owners by the end of 2023. Specter pricing is expected to be positioned between Cullinan and Phantom.

The model with the widest Pantheon grille ever produced in a Rolls-Royce, the Specter embodies all the luxury elements of the brand. As a matter of fact, the interior of the vehicle is offered with 5,876 stars and elegantly illuminated doors with star interior trim called 'Starlight Doors'. The vehicle is expected to have a range of 520 kilometers.