BMW has been promising us a `Megacity`electric vehicle and they will be delivering that promise in 2013.
The biggest news is that it actually won`t be badged as a BMW. It`s going to be a part of a new sub-brand much in the same way that Mini is built by BMW but is its own brand. It`s unclear whether this new brand will be exclusively for electric vehicles or perhaps just for EfficientDynamics type of vehicles.
BMW is claiming that the new Megacity will be mostly made up of carbon fiber which helps to keep weight down, improving performance and efficiency. The only downside is carbon fiber is pretty expensive, so the hope of a cheap city EV isn`t too likely. BMW is hoping to get valuable information from the Mini E, an all electric Mini, which is currently in the pilot stage in selected states down south.
Also noteworthy is the expected appearance of an electric version of the new 5-series which is supposedly going to debut in Beijing. It will be called the `Echo`. BMW isn`t planning on producing the 5-series Echo, so Toyota likely won`t be up in arms about the name. It`s more of a experiment with the help of students from Tongji University in China.
BMW claims the Megacity will have a range of 257 kms before needing to be charged and they are not expected to lease the battery packs seperately like some automakers are doing *cough* Nissan Leaf *cough*