BMW has been making cars since 1916. Almost 100 years later, the German automaker has remained a relevant player in a constantly innovating field. It faces stiff competition from fellow luxury carmakers Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, but in 2014 BMW regained its spot as the top-selling luxury car brand in the U.S. (reclaiming first place from Mercedes, which held it in 2013).

But BMW can’t be complacent if it wants to stay on top. The automotive industry is confronting revolutionary change on multiple fronts—meaning that BMW will have to reckon with alternative fuel sources and developing new technology for highly automated cars, among other advances.

In this five-part series, TIME explores these challenges to show how BMW is turning to data, technology and the Cloud to stay competitive.

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Write to Julia Lull at julia.lull@time.com.