BMW Announces Megacity Hybrid-Electric Vehicle
We had been hearing rumors about a new hybrid-electric vehicle from the BMW Group for several months, but now it has been officially confirmed by the company's Chairman of the Board of Managment, Dr. Norbert Reithofer. During the BMW Group's Annual Accounts Press Conference that took place in Germany on March 18, Reithofer revealed initial details on the so-called, "Megacity Vehicle" which is part of the firm's "i project, created to develop a range of near-zero emission city cars.
"This vehicle will be the first of a range of near-zero emission vehicles. Customers will have the choice between a fully electric drive and a high-efficiency combustion engine. Large-scale production could start in the first half of the next decade," said Reithofer.
"With the Megacity Vehicle, we are also pursuing a radical approach toward establishing a truly sustainable value chain—from development to production and sales," he added.
As for what type of vehicle the Megacity will be, other than making assumptions based on its name, we'll just have to wait to find out.
The Megacity Vehicle will be the second specific car to come out of the "i project" after the all-electric MINI E that is currently being tested by 500 customers in California, USA, in everyday city life. Customers in Berlin and Munich will also get the chance to lease the MINI E in the forthcoming months -read more about the electric MINI hatchback by clicking here.
While there had been speculation that BMW may create a fourth marque for its near-or -zero emission vehicles, Reithofer noted in his speech that the group will continue in the future with three brands - BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce.
- Bmw Confirms Plug-in Hybrid Version Of 5-series For China As Well As New 3-cylinder Turbo Engine And 2012 1-series
For the past few months, we’ve been hearing various rumors about BMW’s future plans, but today, the German automaker came out with official details at a press conference in Munich starting with the debut of a plug-in hybrid version of the...
- Bmw Confirms New "i" Sub-brand, Will Launch With I3 Ev City Car And I8 Plug-in Hybrid Sports Coupe In 2013
It's been a long time in the making, but the BMW Group today confirmed its new sub-brand called "i", with which it will market a new lineup of eco-friendly vehicles including regular and plug-in hybrids, and pure electric models as well...
- Bmw Drops First Official Photo Of Megacity Ev, Enters Production In 2013
[Updated] We've known for a long time that BMW is developing an advanced, electrically driven model currently known as the Megacity, but today the German automaker released the first official teaser photo of the city car. Granted, the rendering doesn't...
- Official: Bmw To Launch All-electric Megacity Vehicle In 2013
The BMW Group will be bringing its first series-production electric-drive model (codenamed Megacity Vehicle) to the market in 2013, the company announced on Thursday. "With this innovative vehicle, designed from the ground up, we will be creating...
- Bmw To Launch Megacity Ev Under A "bmw Sub-brand"
BMW's first series production electric vehicle, the so-called Megacity, will be launched under a "BMW sub-brand" the automaker announced today. Despite the initial confusion that was created by the term "sub-brand" as it suggested that BMW was planning...