Skip advert
Advertisement

Buy fewer new cars and keep old ones for longer says BMW boss

BMW’s head of sustainability suggests motorists should prolong the life of the cars they already own rather than buying new models

BMW M3 Touring E46

Drivers should seek to prolong the life of their existing cars rather than replace them with brand new ones, according to BMW’s sustainability boss.

Monika Dernai, sustainability team lead at BMW, told an audience in London that the automotive industry could reduce waste by encouraging people to hang on to their existing cars and retrofitting them with upgrades to keep them fresh instead of constantly buying new models.

“We really need to think about prolonging the life of cars; not having a used car market where you sell cars to each other, but maybe take a car and extend its lifespan,” she said. “The idea could be that you could freshen up the interior.

Advertisement - Article continues below

“We need new skill sets in the aftermarket and to design cars so that the seat can be removed and a fresh seat can be moved in – then it’s a used car that looks like a new car. It can have the same owner, who then doesn’t buy a new car, but we still have a business model as BMW and the whole of society benefits from that.”

Dernai was speaking at a panel discussion on the topic of creating a circular economy, the idea of which is that society should reuse and recycle everything as much as possible and have minimum waste.

Although Dernai suggested the car market would need to change to be compatible with a circular economy, she said there is still a need for car ownership.

“Can we actually just move everybody to public transport?” she said. “I think the answer is no. You’re worried about the public transport in the UK, but if you look at the US it’s even more desolate. So I think there’s still a market for cars out there.”

Also speaking at the event was Geoff Mulgan, professor of collective intelligence, public policy and social innovation at University College London. He talked about towns such as Freiburg in Germany, where cars are largely prohibited and everyone is encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport. He acknowledged, however, that such a concept could come across as “puritanical” and “authoritarian”.

Read the latest BMW news and reviews here...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars will now pay £10 more per year, although the biggest gas guzzlers fare even worse
28 Mar 2024
‘Secret’ UK courts are fast-tracking speeding fines say magistrates
Speed camera van window
News

‘Secret’ UK courts are fast-tracking speeding fines say magistrates

New guidance from Magistrates’ Association calls for reform and aims to expose ‘secret’ Single Justice Procedure system
26 Mar 2024
Low on stock: Only 1-in-10 UK supermarkets offer electric car charging
Polestar 2 and LEVC TX connected to Sainsburys EV chargers
News

Low on stock: Only 1-in-10 UK supermarkets offer electric car charging

A survey by Zap-Map and the RAC reveals only 13% of supermarkets are equipped with EV chargers, despite a 59% increase in the past year
22 Mar 2024
Mis-sold car finance scandal: could you be due compensation?
Missold car finance
News

Mis-sold car finance scandal: could you be due compensation?

Did you buy a car on finance between April 2007 and January 2021? You could be owed thousands!
21 Mar 2024

Most Popular

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars will now pay £10 more per year, although the biggest gas guzzlers fare even worse
28 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years
Upcoming Audi models - four-way image
News

Huge Audi new car blitz to bring us 9 models in 2 years

After a quiet few years, the German giant is gearing up for its biggest product onslaught to date
25 Mar 2024