It isn't a given that the companies that provide mobility today will also be the ones to do so tomorrow. Every company has to work hard to make this happen.

Joschka Fischer was a Green Party politician and Germany's foreign minister. We hired Mr. Fischer, as well as former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, as advisors because we, as an automaker, want to know, for example, how new emissions laws will develop in the United States, Europe and Asia. Fischer and Ms. Albright have diverse contacts worldwide. They can call our attention to trends early on, information from which we can benefit.

We will introduce an electric car by 2015. It will be a completely new vehicle concept for mega-cities. We would also have it developed if, contrary to expectations, it did not turn a profit in its first life cycle.

As far as I'm concerned, it is clear that the concept of premium will be increasingly defined through sustainability in the future. BMW, like no other brand, will still stand for vitality and driving pleasure in the future. But it will also represent efficiency and environmental friendliness.

I am firmly convinced that the trend toward more fuel-efficient vehicles is not a fad. Gas prices will continue to rise in the medium to long term, because demand is growing considerably in China, India and other countries.

In the European Union, a fleet average of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer will be permitted in 2020. This corresponds to fuel consumption of about four liters (per 100 kilometers; about 59 mpg). We have to continue reducing the fuel consumption of our vehicles and offer hybrid and electric vehicles, or else we will be unable to achieve these values.

We will continue to offer the most dynamic vehicles in the future. However, we have also made it our mission to be sustainable as a company.