J.P.Morgan upgraded BMW (ETR:BMWG) to an Overweight rating (From Neutral) and raised their 12-month price target on the German automaker to €110.00 (From €105.00) as analysts believe the market is underestimating the company’s ability to continue delivering strong volume growth across all regions while transitioning into BEV.
According to J.P. Morgan, BMW lacked the appropriate product offerings in certain segments throughout the past decade. However, the transition into electric vehicles has allowed the carmaker to make some daring choices on the design of the 7 series, as well as uplift the interior of both 5 and 7 series.
In the upcoming years, BMW's product lineup is set to undergo a significant revamp, with a refresh of over 14% in each of the next two years, supported by updates to mid-range to premium models like the 5 series, X2, and X3, as well as the introduction of EV models like the iX1, iX2, and i5.
BMW is following a clear path of growth in the Chinese market, , accelerating the transition to EVs faster than in other markets. J.P.Morgan analysts believe the automaker plans to ramp EV battery assembly capacity in China from 2025 onwards, allowing BMW to transition to 100% EVs in China by 2030.
The BMW Neue klasse will represent BMW’s ultimate EV product, providing higher economies of scale across key components in the car but also supporting changes in the battery chemistry.
“The new architecture represents a significant opportunity for BMW, which will ultimately close the margin gap between ICE and BEV, but we would caution the platform will only account for 5% of volumes in FY25 and will first become relevant in FY27 at 30%.” Wrote analysts in a note.
The Neue klasse, will launch in 2025 as company moves through a phase of a gradual EV roll out in the next three years.
CEO Oliver Zipse mentioned in the company’s 3Q earnings call that BMW would most likely exit 2023 at a 15% global EV mix, followed by 20% in FY25 and 25% in FY25.