On May 14, 2026, Oliver Zipse officially left his post as head of BMW after 35 years at the company. His final address to shareholders was both a report and a farewell. Zipse leaves as the “godfather” of Neue Klasse, the Bavarians’ main project for the decade ahead. Motor recalls the Zipse era without unnecessary pathos, but with respect for the scale of the individual.
Main achievement
The paradox of the outgoing head of BMW is that he is leaving, and the most important project of his career is just beginning to take effect. The “New Class” (Neue Klasse) is not just a few models united by a single design language, but a platform on which BMW will live for the next decade.
“His name will forever remain inextricably linked with the Neue Klasse,” said Nikolaus Peter, chairman of the supervisory board. And this is not standard wording for a press release. Zipse himself at the annual meeting called the Neue Klasse “a springboard into the future.”
BMW iX3
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The first production car of the new era, the all-electric iX3, debuted back in September 2025 at the IAA Mobility in Munich. In January 2026, the first iX3s were handed over to their owners; in March they appeared in European showrooms, and after that in the USA and Asia. Production was launched at a new plant in Debrecen (Hungary). Next, in August 2026, an electric three-ruble car will roll off the assembly line in Munich – the revived BMW i3.
The first-generation BMW i3 tall hatchback was produced from 2013 to 2017. There was both a purely electric version and a hybrid one.
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The second generation BMW i3 (2026) is already a sedan, and it made its debut in Beijing for a reason. BMW is betting on China for its electric cars.
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Saved the internal combustion engine
Zipse took charge of BMW in August 2019 – and immediately found himself in a storm. Seven months after taking office, the coronavirus brought the world and BMW plants to a standstill. Then supply chains were disrupted due to a global logistics failure and military conflict in Ukraine, followed by inflation and trade tensions between China and the West. He led the concern through all this without dramatic failures, which is an achievement in itself.
It was the BMW Vision Neue Klasse that first showed the world what all the “New Classes” would look like: vertical “nostrils” in the style of the 60s, a minimum of lines, a maximum of technology.
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BMW Vision Neue Classe
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BMW Vision Neue Classe
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BMW Vision Neue Classe
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BMW Vision Neue Classe
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BMW Vision Neue Classe
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The main thing that Zipse has been criticized for in recent years is his “technological conservatism.” While competitors were betting on total electrification, Zipse refused to name the end date for internal combustion engines in the Bavarian concern. BMW continued to develop gasoline and diesel engines, hybrids – and at the same time invested billions in the Neue Klasse electric platform.
“Our technology-open strategy combines one of the strongest fleets of electric vehicles in the industry with a broad portfolio of drivetrains. The result is growing sales and a consistent reduction in CO₂ in our fleet,” he argued in the press for his restrained strategy.
Environmentalists blamed BMW for its slowness; investors called it a retrograde. And now that the demand for “clean” electric cars in Europe has turned out to be overestimated, this strategy looks at least reasonable.
The BMW M3 Touring is the first station wagon from the M division in the history of the Bavarian concern. Tsipse personally gave the green light to this model, which the previous leadership considered heresy. Fans are still grateful for this car.
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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BMW M3 Touring
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The company is in profit
Tsipse leaves, leaving behind not only a new vector of development for the concern, but also a strong financial foundation. In fiscal 2025, BMW achieved its target profitability for the automotive division, earned more than 10 billion euros before taxes and raised its dividend by 10% to 4.4 euros per share. All this despite unfavorable exchange rate differences, the difficult situation in China and tariff obstacles.
Speaking of records. The BMW engineering team decided to test what their iX3 can do. They drove it from the plant in Debrecen and drove it to the BMW Welt office in Munich without recharging. Distance – 1007 kilometers. No one has ever achieved this in a car of this class.
The BMW iX3 is the first Neue Klasse car on European roads and is already available for purchase. The declared range is even less than the record set by engineers – up to 805 km on the WLTP cycle. By the way, the car arrived in Munich with 2% of the battery remaining.
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During Zipse’s tenure, BMW saved 2.5 billion euros across all expense items, while reducing its R&D budget and capital expenditures – because they invested in Neue Klasse in the early stages.
“While others are canceling bonuses, we are paying our employees in Germany an attractive bonus for 2025,” Zipse said. BMW delivered more than 2.46 million vehicles to customers in 2025, more than the previous year.
By the way, the frightening giant “nostrils” in the BMW 740 xDrive are also Zipse’s, who approved the new design policy, which caused such a mixed reaction among fans of the brand.
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BMW 740 xDrive
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BMW 740 xDrive
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BMW 740 xDrive
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Tsipse did not boast at the annual meeting – he stated facts. And this is his whole manner: without unnecessary words, but with numbers that speak louder than any slogans.
No scandal
Zipse’s departure is an event, of course, but without the usual aura of a “lost legend” that is usual for such cases. “At BMW it has never been important who it is – neither the board nor the CEO. It’s always about what we do: our products and our brands, our company and our success,” he told shareholders.
Zipse himself was brief and reserved in German in his last address: “Let me say from the bottom of my heart: thank you for 35 rich and exciting years at BMW.” No tears, no pretentious slogans. They say the job is done – and it speaks for itself.
The most powerful and rare BMW M5 CS with yellow optics – 627 hp, carbon fiber, complete absence of a rear seat in favor of buckets. This car is called Tsipsa’s best gift to fans of gasoline M engines.
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BMW M5 CS
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BMW M5 CS
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For BMW, the Zipse era is over. The era of Nedeljkovic begins – a man who in Munich is called a “manufacturer to the core.” His task is to scale Neue Klasse, launch new models and not lose what he managed to save during seven turbulent years. By 2027, more than 40 new or updated models with Neue Klasse technology will hit the market.
Oliver Zipse speaks at the 6th annual meeting of shareholders of BMW AG in Munich.
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Zipse himself, according to unconfirmed reports, is waiting for a seat on the board of directors of Airbus, but that, as they say, is a completely different story. He leaves not as a triumphant, not as a savior, and not as a victim of circumstances. He leaves as a leader who, in difficult times, managed not to mess things up and at the same time laid the foundation for the future. In the automotive world, this is already an achievement.
“What you see here is the truth. It’s authentic. This is our BMW spirit, dear shareholders!” – Zipse said in his last address. And it’s hard to argue with that.
