BMW’s Future Will Be Revolutionary

BMW's Future Will Be Revolutionary front view

BMW's Future Will Be Revolutionary concept view

LONDON – BMW is considering a flagship high-end sports car market in the broad area of the Mercedes SL and Audi R8. Speaking this week in London, Ian Robertson, BMW board member for sales and marketing, he says, “would not rule out” such a project. He pointed out that the Vision EfficientDynamics concept car at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show unveiled last fall was the inspiration for the car. Robertson also gave information on a variety of other changes to the brand, some of them are quite revolutionary.
The vision is a 400-horsepower hybrid range extender capable of hitting 60 mph in under 4.0 seconds return, 62.6 mpg (U.S.) and do not emit more than 99 g / km CO2 – and only 50 g / km in electric mode. Robertson says the technology “we have proved it.” Further evidence of the commitment by BMW for this project is the news that half of the Vision concept car at the demonstration and display purposes, the building runs.
Potentially more radical as this is the message that the body is carbon fiber technology that BMW is developing the Seattle-based company SGL Carbon LLC for electric Mega City in 2013 is finally distributed to the BMW range in the regular models of the company.
Robertson describes this development as a “radical change” in the way cars are produced, because this is a shift from the welded steel bodies, currently the mainstay of world production. The process will lead to a different assembly process that Robertson describes as a “hub and spoke” core parts of the car at a central facility, while the local production of the final vehicle assembly.

Some of the body of the Mega City will be one color, even though Robertson stressed that there is a premium model, not least because it will not be cheap, made very early in a purely electric model. The lightweight – he says that a carbon fiber body is about 30 percent lighter than a comparable aluminum housing – covering substantially the value of 100 to 120 miles from the improved experimental Mini E.
The carbon-fiber body Mega City is electric car go on sale in 2013 with a BMW propeller badges and unique sub-branding in the same way as the motor “M” rating. “We have to come with a good decision,” said Robertson naming this strategy.
The Mega City is first come in the form of a four-seater, but will follow other derivatives. Robertson says it is for use in so-called mega-cities – hence the name – why the Mini E electric prototypes were in Los Angeles, where the company is big market for this radical car looks tested.
No less radical for the BMW brand, the company plans to front-wheel-drive models. Robertson explained the strategy by pointing out that “the older sections increase slightly, but the real growth in the small car segment. Over the next 10 years, this to be the fastest growing segments of both volume and premium cars.” Hence the recent announcement by BMW that BMW built are branded front-wheel-drive models for the first time (though the Mini and the techniques developed in the year 1998 drive Rover 75), whereby its front-wheel-drive, the volume to around one million units in 2015. Approximately 600,000 of these vehicles are positioned from BMW, below the 1-series to introduce some new concepts to the body styles of the segment, says Robertson.
Robertson may also confirmed that the production version of the Gran Coupe unveiled at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show and a 6-series will be badged and “will debut in the second quarter of 2012.” It is a version of the M6, while the M version of the 1-series for “The first part of next year is planned.” BMW has not shown what this car is called. The logical M1 badge was previously used 1979 BMW super sports car.