The head of production at Germany’s BMW wants e-cars to outperform their petrol rivals by giving electric vehicles their own freeway lane.

Milan Nedeljkovic, head of BMW production, also suggests, in an article published Saturday in the Münchner Merkur newspaper, special access to city centres and free parking for e-vehicles to boost demand.

“If electric cars constantly passed you in the crowd, many would certainly think about crossing,” said Nedeljkovic.

He said that such preferential treatment would be an alternative to the planned EU ban on internal combustion engines, adding that government incentives for purchases are not reasonable in the long term.

Despite criticism of Germany as a production location, BMW is significantly increasing production here, said Nedeljković. “This year we will produce more than a million cars in Germany,” said Nedeljković, also a member of the BMW board.

Last year, BMW produced 936,000 cars at its factories in Dingolfing, Munich, Regensburg, and Leipzig, while it made 729,000 cars in China and 411,000 in the United States. That amounts to 2.66 million cars worldwide.

Nedeljkovic said the company has invested five billion euros ($5.5 billion) in German plants over the past five years and is profitable.

“But it’s clear that competition is getting tougher in our home base.” The reasons, he says, are bureaucracy, expensive energy, and high location costs. He added that the industry also needs a solid road network, reliable rail service, and digital infrastructure.

“Currently, however, we are experiencing an exodus of industrial firms, especially in the medium-sized sector and among suppliers. We need the exact opposite,” said a BMW board member, “namely the establishment of new technologies.”

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