"With the Megacity vehicle we are pursuing a radical approach toward establishing a truly sustainable value chain - from development to production and sales," Norbert Reithofer, BMW chairman told just-auto.com.
The project follows the trend set by the company's Mini electric vehicles, currently under testing in the United States. It's too soon in Megacity's development for the company to have decided whether it will form the basis for a fourth BMW brand or what the design lines will be, but it will become a reality in the near future.
"This vehicle will be the first of a range of near-zero emission vehicles. Customers will have the choice between a fully electric drive and a high efficiency combustion engine. Large scale production could start in the first half of the next decade," added the official.
The electric Mini will be used by BMW to set the general guidelines for the second creation of Project i. The company is in no hurry, as Reithofer believes there will still be some time before electric vehicles will become a part of everyday life.
"Electric cars do not meet all the different mobility demands and there are still too many open questions regarding affordable technology, battery life cycles and infrastructure. Currently all manufacturers - and our society for that matter - are going through a learning process," the chairman was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source.
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