BMW's zero-emission urban car will be "significantly lighter than conventional cars," as Norbert Reithofer, BMW chairman of the board said. Because of the reduced weight, BMW will debut together with the Megacity vehicle a new range of materials, including the high-strength composite CFRP (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic).
"This vehicle will radically alter the motor industry as we know it. The BMW Group is currently the only company that will be launching a volume-production vehicle on the market that features carbon fibre-reinforced material,” Reithofer said.
“We were among the first manufacturers to pick up on the trend towards electric mobility and to act accordingly. More and more people around the globe are very keen on electric driving. Research shows, moreover, that more than half of the population around the world already live in conurbations.”
The Megacity vehicle will be built at the BMW Leipzig plant, as a a BMW sub-brand and not a BMW or a MINI. The car's electric powertrain was already previewed in the ActivE, a vehicle powered by a new synchronous electric motor. The vehicle develops 170 bhp and a maximum torque of 250 Nm of torque from a standstill.
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