The green bug has bit everyone of late and while BMW have just gone ballistic in India and have been raking in the sales, and we at ICB have just started to start driving the bad boys in the stable, the mother ship has announced that they will be indeed going on to make an all electric car…..
Admit it, you’ve been desperately refreshing this page in the simple hope of learning more about BMW’s first all-electric vehicle. Originally announced with nary a visual clue to its appearance, the Megacity has now been fleshed out in the above futuristic sketch, which gives us an inkling of the car’s design direction.
As a sort of teaser, BMW released the first sketch of their upcoming Megacity Electric Vehicle, which is set for launch in 2013. The reason they call it Mega, is because this little car is going to be highly advanced featuring a carbon fiber body and a sophisticated all-electric drivetrain capable of traveling over 100 miles per charge, which is great for a city car. When it hit the market in 2013, it won’t sport the BMW badge, instead it get its own sub-brand.
At the BMW Museum, in a private setting for international automotive journalists, BMW unveiled tonight the first sketches of the 2013 BMW Megacity vehicle. Introduced by the BMW Director of Design, Adrian Von Hooydonk, the Megacity vehicle is the “next premium” automobile from the BMW family. As mentioned, it should be out in 2013 and it will released as a Sub- Brand. Internally known as project – i, the goal of the project will be maximum sustainability.
And by the word sustainability, BMW means a lot. From the production process, starting with the first supplier, through to component recycling at the end of the vehicle life cycle, sustainability based on the three cornerstones of eco-friendliness, economic efficiency and social compatibility must be the main process driver. According to Von Hooydonk, The Megacity vehicle will look and drive as a premium product, and will not be a compromise between looks, performance and safety. It was also mentioned that some of the key elements of traditional BMW design will or may be omitted; making way for a new design that will cement itself in the BMW family, thus making the project and the Megacity a sub-brand by itself.
Don’t expect it to have too much bearing on the final product, though — we do anticipate the real deal to have, y’know, tyres. BMW is also putting together an all-new chassis specifically for this battery-powered city transporter, and has already begun crash-testing the carbon fiber-equipped shells. In spite of its compact dimensions, the Megacity is being described as a “premium sustainability” vehicle, meaning its 2013 launch will be relevant to a somewhat select group of people.
Resource :engadget.com
