Having celebrated an important milestone in the company’s eco-friendly efforts, BMW announced that it is just beginning to ramp up its efforts in the field of electrified cars and that the years to come will be even better. The CEO of the company said in a recent interview that the goal right now is to reach 500,000 units delivered worldwide by the end of 2019, an ambitious goal that will require a wider variety, without a doubt.

Speaking to German weekly magazine WirtschaftsWoche, Harald Kruger was quoted saying he expects the sales of electrified cars to jump by a “medium double-digit percentage,” next year, with things picking up even more speed as we’re nearing the next decade. In order to do so, BMW’s upcoming fully-electric car will play a big part, the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe being slated as the basis for it.

So far all we know about it is that it will have a range of up to 700 km and that it will have enough power to still feel like a BMW. The question that lingers in everyone’s mind though is whether it will still drive like a Bavarian machine and that remains to be seen. Considering the recent developments in the field of battery tech and the joint ventures in which BMW is a partner, we’re hoping that the new electrified models to come will bring everything we hope for, from short recharging times, to similar range to ICEs.

With 12 new electric models in the pipeline, things are definitely looking up and, as we’ve been getting used to, once BMW sets a goal, it usually achieves it. In order to do so though, the company announced it will keep making internal combustion models to keep the money flowing for research and development among other things.