Big Boxer Alert! BMW R 20 coming as early as 2027!

Poky, 1000PS: When we spoke at the last EICMA, you said that at BMW Motorrad you enjoy the freedom of a small company combined with the stability of a large group. Since then, there have been reports of large-scale job cuts across the group. At BMW Motorrad, for example, Mike Sommer and Markus Heger are leaving the team. Does that create uncertainty? How do you make sure customers don't suffer as a result?

Markus Flasch, CEO BMW Motorrad: Our strategic freedom at BMW Motorrad remains unchanged. But we at Motorrad are also affected by the BMW Group's so-called personnel structure programme. You can think of it as a fitness programme for the future. As is usual with programmes like this, some people leave whom you would have liked to keep. But we have so much talent in the team that I'm not worried about that.

I fully support the necessary restructuring of the group. If you treat employees fairly and make attractive offers, that is also a sign of appreciation in my view. What matters to me is that we continue to have a strong team and are well positioned for the future.

Poky: Despite a difficult market, BMW Motorrad sold more than 200,000 bikes in 2025. Even so, the group has to cut costs. Does that affect development too, or is BMW Motorrad something of an indomitable Gaulish village there?

Markus Flasch: Striving for efficiency is fundamentally the right thing to do. That applies to BMW and to the entire industry, especially the European one, which is under pressure from new manufacturers. We have set ourselves ambitious efficiency targets and reorganised accordingly. Since November we have been working in a new structure while consistently leveraging the possibilities of AI along the entire value chain. The aim is to become faster, reduce complexity and deploy our resources where they make the biggest difference for our customers. It's about more customer focus and fewer internal processes and less bureaucracy.

Poky: We've seen some exciting concepts in recent years. Are there specific projects that might already be in series production if it weren't for the current cost pressure?

Markus Flasch: With every strategy and every project, we start from the customer: can we sell the product, does it get people excited? The projects in our pipeline meet these criteria. We don't run experiments just to follow an ideology. I'm convinced that both the bikes we're presenting now and those coming next year will strike a chord with the times.

Poky: BMW is skipping the Motorrad Days in Garmisch in 2027, while regional events like the Newchurch Summit get people directly onto bikes. Is that a deliberate move away from the big in-house event - and could events like these become more important for BMW in the future?

Markus Flasch: Exactly. Garmisch is part of the history of the BMW Motorrad Days. The brand itself is the BMW Motorrad Days. This year we've already held ten Motorrad Days outside Germany. The most recent event was in Spain and drew 10,000 visitors. We realised that we should offer the concept worldwide. Our community is global. That's why we're not concentrating all our resources on a single central event, but will be present next year at certainly more than ten locations around the world - just as you experienced at the Newchurch Summit.

Poky: Let's talk about the models. The 450 platform has gained two new faces. A year ago you told me you hadn't forgotten about the R20. What can you tell us about it today?

Markus Flasch: That was me in the video. We shot it in the summer when I was riding the R20. After all the rides on the prototypes, we sat down together and concluded: the bike is already so good and development is so far along that we can bring the schedule forward. And that's exactly what we're doing. The R20 will hit the market as early as the 2027 season instead of 2028. I can't give any specific details yet.

Poky: At the other end of the portfolio sits the BMW M 1000 RS. There probably aren't many riders who get off an M 1000 R and say they're still missing power or features. How big is the market for a special model like this? Is it about profitability or about showing what's technically possible?

Markus Flasch: First and foremost, it's about pushing boundaries. It's the most powerful hypernaked on the market, and we already had all the necessary ingredients on the shelf. The thinking was: what would happen if we really went all-in on a naked bike? That became the concept. Then we looked at each other with a grin and said: why not? Let's give it a go.

Poky: Now let's go to the other end of the spectrum. New manufacturers are launching bikes whose quality has improved significantly. Why should a customer pay more for a BMW F 450 GS when the competition's spec sheets look similar?

Markus Flasch: When we unveiled the F 450 GS, three quarters of the headlines said, in essence: nobody thought BMW could be this affordable. We set a really attractive price - perhaps even a little too low for my personal taste. The package is so good that after a test ride you'll hardly look at the competition anymore. Besides, you're not just buying a bike, you're also buying into the BMW community, the dealer network and the customer care. That's well worth the small premium over the competitors. We deliberately positioned the F 450 GS aggressively to win a new generation of riders for the brand. We really don't make much money on it.

Poky: Where does BMW need to be better than the competition in the long term?

Markus Flasch: The overall package is what counts. Quality and innovation form our foundation, even though there's a tension between the two: too much innovation can come at the expense of quality. Our aim is to combine new functions that offer genuine customer benefit with high reliability. If a problem does arise, we respond technically and take care of our customers. This care also contributes to the high resale value of our bikes.

Poky: BMW has recently become involved in electric off-road, and you've just taken a financial stake in the e-mobility start-up Venna. What's the strategic thinking behind that?

Markus Flasch: I've always said that we don't do anything for ideological reasons. For the foreseeable future, I don't see electric supersports or large electric adventure bikes as a sensible alternative to our big, high-margin bikes. But there are two areas where electric two-wheelers make sense: urban mobility - even if this segment is currently a bit weak - and off-road.

With an electric mx bike or hard enduro, speeds are relatively low, aerodynamics play a smaller role and range is often less critical because the rider reaches their physical limits first. That's why we've always described this segment as a sensible one. But we don't have to invent everything ourselves. It's a highly specialised field. People with backgrounds in racing and technology have been working on it for years. We've taken a stake in the start-up Venna, which has the relevant experience and remains independent. That way we focus on our strengths and cooperate with specialists in new areas.

Poky: In the urban segment, you already have an established product in the CE 04. Last year we saw the CE Vision concept. Will that become a new model?

Markus Flasch: As things stand, we're not planning that. The segment of powerful electric two-wheelers isn't growing the way we expected. Beyond the current life cycles of the CE 02 and CE 04, we don't intend to bring any further new products in this area for the time being.

Poky: What are the motorsport goals for 2027? And does MotoGP remain an option?

Markus Flasch: We want to defend our title in the Endurance World Championship and return to our former strength in WorldSBK. There will be a new rider line-up for that. I've never ruled out entering MotoGP. The series would suit BMW, but such a far-reaching decision needs the right timing. As long as the industry is under economic pressure, the timing isn't particularly favourable. We'll keep watching the options. If the right opportunity comes along, we'll take it.

Poky: One more question for you as ACEM President: where do you currently see the biggest regulatory threat to the motorcycle industry? Is it stricter emissions rules, more complex homologation or some other sword of Damocles?

Markus Flasch: I don't see a single sword of Damocles. We need to view bikes more strongly as part of the mobility solution, especially in cities. At the same time, fair competition is important. We're watching price dumping in Europe closely. Here it could become necessary for us as an association to influence legislation as well.

Poky: Why isn't the industry better at communicating the mobility advantages of two-wheelers over cars - especially in urban and commuter traffic?

Markus Flasch: That's a fair question. With BMW's bikes, we're not the primary mobility provider; price-wise, we're more in the lifestyle segment. In southern Europe - in Italy, France or Spain, for example - the two-wheeler plays a much bigger role as a means of transport. That certainly has to do with climate and weather too. I don't have a definitive answer to that. But we'll make sure that the contribution of the two-wheeler industry is properly recognised in future legislation. In the end, what customers buy is their own decision.

Poky: In Germany, for example, filtering past stationary traffic is regulated more strictly than in other countries. Could more be achieved at European level rather than just pursuing national initiatives?

Markus Flasch: I agree with you there. In Germany, we get in our own way in some areas. That doesn't have to be the case. Whether we can change anything in this specific example, I don't know yet. If you look at the matter sensibly and see a two-wheeler as a possible solution, it helps everyone more than excluding it on principle.

Poky: Thank you very much for the interview.

Markus Flasch: Thank you.