The surprise statement comes at a time when the car industry is abuzz with the latest electric-powered cars from manufacturers around the world.
"Our four-and six-cylinder diesels will remain for at least another 20 years and our gasoline units for at least 30 years," Research and Development boss Klaus Froehlich told the industry journal Automotive News Europe.
However BMW said it would phase out some of the more complicated petrol units like the range-topping V12 6.6-litre, and also drop the entry-level three-cylinder diesel in the MINI One runabout.
This would avoid huge expenditure on updating such outdated combustion engines to comply with emission regulations, especially in China.
It sounds like good news for petrol-heads, and yet BMW is also becoming increasingly electric. Froehlich said the maker aimed to electrify between 20 and 30 per cent of the range by 2030.
