BMW Megacity Vehicle, Built in Leipzig from 2013

Following several months of absence from the public eye, German carmaker's BMW Megacity Vehicle is again under the spotlight. A report in German magazine Automobile Woche, cited by BMWblog, says the new car, created by the infamous Project i branch, will be built starting 2013 in BMW's facility in Leipzig.

The vehicle, part of a new, third sub-brand owned by BMW (probably named i-Setta), will be offered by the carmaker with a choice of several engines, ranging from regular, yet small displacement gasoline engines to all electric choices.

A preview of the electric powertrain to be featured on the Megacity is the current ActivE vehicle. Powered by a new synchronous electric motor, the car develops 170 bhp and a maximum torque of 250 Nm of torque from a standstill.

The manufacturer estimates a naught to 62 acceleration time of 9 seconds or less and an electronically limited top speed of around 145 km/h (90 mph). The most important feature of the EV, its range, is estimated to sit at around 160 km / 100 miles on a single charge.

The electricity is stored in a lithium-ion battery pack developed together with SB LiMotive, whose performances are optimized by the use of a new stable temperature regulation function.

"The drive components used in the BMW Concept ActiveE have been developed as part of project i. The objectives on which this is based are derived from the requirements for the serial production development of a Megacity Vehicle," BMW said when the ActivE was presented last December.