With the use of CATIA software, a 3D virtual design platform, engineers can consolidate design environments and create a single reference model for the design of all future BMW engines. IBM and Dassault Systèmes PLM experts have helped the automaker to harmonize and consolidate all design initiatives into a digital infrastructure that provides the latest technologies to aid in the software simulation, calculation and testing of new engine models.

As industrial sector companies intensify efforts to deliver more value to customers, they are using smart technology to help launch a new class of products. For example, working with IBM and Dassault Systèmes, BMW has developed a series of software design initiatives aimed at equipping new cars with fuel-saving technologies. From designing smaller engines to increasing piston and cylinder performance for better ignition and fuel performance, product lifecycle management software continues to play a key role in the intelligent design of new products.

In the past, aerodynamicists, physicists, and product engineers relied on CAD geometry and manual changes to create new design models. With CATIA, product designers can use multiple engineering applications to significantly enhance a manufacturer's ability to share master versions of an engine design before signing off on production and manufacturing plans.

"BMW is in a leadership position to speed up change in the auto industry. With a digital design infrastructure, a company can quickly respond to consumer changes and production demand by having immediate access to global design plans and making those updates digitally so they are instantly shared across global manufacturing sites and with partners in the supply chain", stated Steve Mills, senior vice president and group executive, IBM Software.

Using CATIA software, BMW has shipped 22 new cars with engines that produce less than 140 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer, an achievement that meets the goals set by Kyoto Protocol participants in 1992 as part of an international treaty on climate change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally.