BMW reveals Olympic fleet

Meet BMW’s Olympic stars. The brand is a headline sponsor of the 2012 London games, and has revealed the 4,000-strong fleet of cars, bikes and motorcycles it’s donating to keep athletes and officials moving next summer.

At the organising committee’s request, every vehicle will put out less than 120g/km of CO2. Some even promise zero emissions.

In addition to 400 BMW-branded bicycles, there will be two new electric models to ferry athletes to and from the Olympic village, as well as carry support teams and equipment. The 200 MINI Es and 1 Series Active Es on the fleet will pave the way for the arrival of the BMW ‘i’ sub-brand in 2013.

Sales and marketing director Ian Robertson promised that the electric MINI “will have seats for four, new batteries, new drivetrains and a proper boot”.

Also appearing will be the new 5 Series ActiveHybrid, which uses a twin-turbocharged petrol engine coupled to an electric motor for low-emissions driving. The green executive model will then go on sale in the UK, but initially only in limited numbers.

Conventional models making up the core of the range will be BMW’s two most efficient diesel models: the 320d and 520d EfficientDynamics. These put out 109g/km and 119g/km of CO2 respectively.

The firm’s touring motorbikes will also be involved as chase vehicles and camera cars. Finally, the Olympics will see the premiere of the Pedelec – a folding electric bike capable of up to 18mph.

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