BMW Chief Executive Officer Oliver Zipse said the global car industry is heading for a "selection process" in which manufacturers "can’t afford to make mistakes," predicting a fundamental reordering of the sector as electrification accelerates. Zipse told Germany’s Spiegel magazine the company decided five years ago to reshape its line-up around the fully electric "Neue Klasse" platform and has committed billions of euros to the effort. The first model in the range, the iX3 sport-utility vehicle, will be unveiled at the Munich motor show next week, a launch the CEO hopes will narrow BMW’s gap with Tesla. His warning comes amid a rapid push by Chinese automakers that is reshaping competition. CNBC reports China overtook Japan as the world’s largest vehicle exporter in 2023 and produced 31.4 million cars last year, with new-energy vehicles accounting for roughly 41% of output. Separate reporting from Rest of World highlights that companies such as Chery, Zeekr and Xiaomi are imitating premium Western designs, intensifying price pressure and raising intellectual-property concerns. European marques, Zipse said, must execute flawlessly to stay relevant in a market that is moving faster than many expected.