BMW will create new electric vehicle sub-brand
MINI E - Click above for high-res image gallery
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told Reuters this week that its future electric cars will be badged as BMWs. This contradicts some earlier rumors that the automaker would revive another brand such as Triumph or Isetta for its electric vehicles. The company will stick with its existing BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. Reithofer did reveal that the board has voted to create a sub-brand for electric vehicles. This new sub-brand would be along the lines of the "M" badging currently used for high performance models. These new vehicles will be targeted at urban drivers and include a two wheeler. The first of these new vehicles will likely start appearing sometime around 2012-13.
Gallery: Quick Drive: MINI E
Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
coyo t 5:11PM (8/05/2009)
I wish that car looked like the mini did in the year 2000:
http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/top-2000-Mini-Final-Edition.htm
I really do not care much for what bmw has done to the brand
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healthy skeptic 5:15PM (8/05/2009)
So much for all the conspiracy theorists who cynically assumed the MINI-E lease project was a sneaky way of sabotaging EV efforts, or of squeaking by on new compliance. It looks like BMW is pretty serious.
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Nick P. 6:52PM (8/05/2009)
They are just as serious as Chrysler: get something on the road by assembling third-party components (Lotus, AC Propulsion, etc.) so they don't have to put too much resource into this. They didn't plan for the *charger cables* and have alienated most of the people on their trial list. This from a company that is known for quality and being detail-oriented.
I still think that BMW are not EV converts. They want to wait until everyone else is doing it -- specially Audi and Mercedes. Thankfully, they have a board reminding them that their first goal is to build cars that people want to buy, not to drive around an F1 track.
Lorena Palin 6:14PM (8/06/2009)
I have never met somone I liked who drove a mini- never.
Regaurdless, BMW makes very fine gasoline cars and engines, that is thier specialty. I don't see much reason to have them make big, bulky, nasty heavy things with batteries
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