BMW launches ‘i’ sub-brand

Bosses at BMW have flicked the switch on a new range of cars. The German firm has officially launched its eco sub-brand, called BMW i. 

This will produce electric and hybrid models with a separate identity to BMW’s regular line-up. To kick things off, the i3 and i8 arrive in 2013. They’re designed to change the way we think about supercars and city models respectively.

The i8 was previewed by the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, first seen at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. This plug-in hybrid will blend the performance of a supercar with a supermini’s fuel consumption.  Meanwhile, the i3 – previously referred to as the Megacity – will be BMW’s first all-electric city car. 

Each model will use a similar structure: an aluminium chassis housing the powertrain, with lightweight but strong carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for the passenger cells. Both cars will be assembled at BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany, where the firm has invested £336million, allowing component crossover for the electric motors and batteries, cutting costs significantly. 

Design boss Adrian van Hooydonk has confirmed that the new cars will feature styling touches that will distinguish the i cars from the rest of BMW’s range, including a blue-rimmed version of the trademark kidney grille, large but narrow wheels for better aerodynamics and a ‘stream-flow’ C-pillar design which supersedes the Hofmeister kink.

The new cars are just the tip of the iceberg, with the separate ‘i’ sub brand being used for a new New-York-based venture capital company, which will invest in a host of services aimed at revolutionising the way that people use cars.

The venture capital company is intended to allow the use of BMW Group’s wealth of resources, while also allowing the ‘i’ firm to make faster investment decisions as technology progresses. 

One of the first priorities is investment in mobile connectivity, which will take four different strands – parking solutions, smart sat-navs, different types of transport and even ‘premium’ car sharing.

The firm used a press conference at BMW Welt in Munich to demonstrate the MyCityWay app, which is one of its first investments - showing that the firm is keen to invest in comapnies which aren't necessary car-related.

The example of booking a table at a restaurant was used to show that, as well as recommendations of different places to eat, the app calculates the best mode of transport to travel by, including traffic updates for roads and service disruptions on public transport.

If you elect to travel by car, the app also advises you of where to park and any restrictions that may be in force. Future developments include a car sharing feature, which would allow drivers of ‘i’ cars to give each other lifts to common destinations. 

The app currently has 500,000 users in 40 cities in the US, with 40 more coming on stream soon. 

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