If you fancy a new, diesel-powered BMW, better act fast. A BMW spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that the company will discontinue all of its diesel-powered models in the United States after 2018.
"We are putting all our eggs in the PHEV basket," BMW representative Alexander Schmuck told The Car Connection. When reached for comment by Roadshow, Schmuck confirmed, "We're focusing on PHEV," noting, "The business case isn't there at this time."
Indeed, the demand for diesels in the US has been dwindling for quite some time, especially in the wake of the Volkswagen Group "Dieselgate" scandal. Premium competitor Mercedes-Benz has similarly decided to stop selling diesel passenger cars in the US.
"Getting the [diesel] vehicles homologated is just taking much and much longer now, and that's just a problem," Schmuck told Roadshow.
One of the most popular diesel-powered US-spec BMWs has been the X5 SUV. But when the new 2019 X5 launches this fall, it'll be a gasoline-only affair.
"We're not bringing a diesel variant of the X5 in this generation," Schmuck told Roadshow. "Ultimately, the sales numbers have been going down over the past year and a half, and we've seen a rise in our PHEV sales." BMW will offer the X5 in plug-in hybrid xDrive45e iPerformance guise, though that version won't arrive in the US until 2020 as a 2021 model.
In addition to the aforementioned X5, BMW only offers a handful of diesel models in its 2018 model year US portfolio. The 3 Series can be had with a 2.0-liter diesel engine in the 328d sedan and wagon, and the 5 Series is available with a 3.0-liter I6 in the 540d.
BMW has expanded its plug-in hybrid lineup in recent years, and is putting a ton of resources into electrified powertrains moving forward. The company recently outlined its plans to launch 25 electrified models by 2025, 12 of which will be fully electric.
"I have set clear goals for sustainable mobility," Harald Krüger, chairman of the board of management of BMW, said during a speech in March. "More than 140,000 electrified vehicles sold this year. A total of half a million electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on the roads by the end of 2019."
Discuss: BMW will discontinue diesels in the US for 2019
Be respectful, keep it clean and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.