Oliver Zipse joined BMW in 1991 as a trainee and later held several management positions. He was appointed chairman of the board of management in August 2019, and his contract was later extended into 2026. Although BMW’s supervisory board maintains an age limit of 60 for board members, it made an exception for Zipse, who turns 62 in February.
As previously reported, Zipse will step down when his contract ends. BMW announced today that Milan Nedeljković will take the reins of the world’s best-selling luxury automaker next year. He will assume the chairman role on May 14, the day after the annual general meeting, when Zipse will leave the board of management.
Like his predecessor, Nedeljković also started at BMW as a trainee, joining in 1993. The 56-year-old later rose to senior leadership roles at Plant Oxford and served as Managing Director of the Leipzig and Munich factories. He also served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Quality. His contract runs through 2031, at which point he, like Zipse, will also be over 60.
The coming years will be extremely busy for BMW. Around 40 new or updated models are scheduled to launch by the end of 2027. After that, the lineup could expand with an i1 hatchback and an i2 sedan. Additionally, there are rumors of a large, rugged SUV with hybrid and electric variants.
Regardless of powertrain, all future models will fall under the modern Neue Klasse umbrella. Zipse helped set the direction with the second-generation iX3. The electric crossover will be followed next year by the 3 Series and i3 sedans. In 2026, BMW is also expected to introduce the next-generation X5, a 7 Series facelift, and possibly the first-ever iX4.
Either at the end of Zipse’s tenure or early in Nedeljković’s, ALPINA will usher in a new era within the BMW Group by reintroducing its interpretation of the 7 Series.
Source: BMW
