BMW’s head of sustainability believes motorists should be able to extend the life and attractiveness of the cars they already own, instead of buying new models. And automakers should significantly help them with this.
Monika Dernai, who leads BMW’s sustainability team, said at a recent conference in London that the auto industry could significantly reduce waste if it motivated people to keep their current cars and upgrade them with new technologies, instead of buying constantly new models.
„We really have to think about extending the life of cars; not have a used car market where we sell cars to each other, but maybe take the car and extend its life,Quote from Dernai’s British colleagues. “This idea could refer, for example, to refreshing the interior,” he immediately offered an example.
„We need new aftermarket and car design skills so that seats can be removed and new ones installed, so it’s a used car that looks new. It may have the same owner who therefore doesn’t buy a new car, but we still have a business model like BMW and the whole company benefits from that.“
Dernai was scheduled to speak at a panel discussion on the topic of creating a circular economy, the idea of which is that society should reuse, recycle and have as little waste as possible. Despite suggestions that the auto industry should be more compatible with the circular economy, Dernai believes there will still be a need to own cars in the future.
„Can we all move on public transport? I think the answer is no. In the UK you worry about public transport but if you look at the US it’s even worse. So I think we still have a market here for cars,Dernai added.
