2023 will be remembered at BMW not only for the 100th anniversary of the first motorcycle, the R32 of 1923, but also for the absolute sales record in its motorcycle history: 209,257 units worldwide. 3.5% of these are represented by the approximately 7,500 CE 04 scooters, which in 2023 have thus conquered 70% of the market share in their segment, that of electric ones (motorcycles and scooters) with a power of over 11 kW. Markus Flasch, who took on the role of Head of BMW Motorrad from 1 November 2023, was present at the international launch of the CE 02. And it was with him that we took stock of the situation on BMW Motorrad’s vision in the electric sector.
Let’s start with the design. When BMW entered the world of electric two-wheelers with the C evolution it did so with a conventional stylistic approach. Colors aside, it was very similar to the C600 Sport. The CE 04 and now the CE 02 seem to belong to another planet. Why this change of direction?
“It’s an interesting question. Obviously the CE 04, is very focused on design. And it still seems extremely futuristic to me, even though it’s been on the market for a few years now. Yes, I think we found the right tone, a tone that fits well with the brand to launch something futuristic.”
Speaking of CE 02 he used the word “experiment”. Does this mean that in the future we can imagine it bigger, like a real motorbike?
“I want to say, first of all, returning to my speech at the press conference, that for us there would be no need for another 11 kW model (the CE04 is in fact also available detuned to 11 kW, ed.). So there is the 11 kW version of the CE 02, but I think that the strong proposition and the extension of our portfolio are brought by the 4 kW C02, because in most countries it is possible to use it without a motorcycle license (we are talking about world markets, ed. In Italy you can in fact drive the CE 02 11 kW even with just a B car licence). So the reasoning we made is that we will probably attract many of our automotive customers with a smart extension of urban mobility. And to your question about the electric motorcycle, we listen very carefully to the requests of our audience, what they actually ask for and how much they are willing to pay. At the same time, we look closely at the competition in the market and what it is bringing to the market. And if you combine both aspects, you arrive at the result that the time for high-performance electric motorcycles has probably not yet come. Let’s not rule anything out though. We don’t think we will need an electric motorcycle with greater power in the next two, three years.”
