BMW will launch its alternative drive i3 and i8 models in South Africa next year, the German manufacturer has confirmed.
This will follow on from the i3’s international unveiling this year, with the i8 to follow next year.
The i3 – previously known as the Megacity Vehicle – will be BMW’s first series-produced car for urban areas to be driven by electric power alone. It will also have a high recycled material content: 25% of the thermoplastic components by weight will be replaced by recycled and renewable materials.
The i8 is based on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept study. BMW says its “plug-in hybrid drive blends the sporting ability of a high-performance machine with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small car”.
“With the BMW i sub-brand, we are opening up new target groups for the company and positioning the parent brand BMW even more strongly as a sustainable and forward-looking brand,” says BMW South Africa group communications and public affairs GM Guy Kilfoil.
“When we introduce the BMW i3 and BMW i8 in South Africa next year, they will demonstrate that indeed BMW i stands for visionary vehicles and mobility services, inspiring design and a new understanding of premium that is more strongly defined in terms of sustainability.”
Kilfoil notes that BMW has a long history in producing alternative drive vehicles, starting in the 1970s with the BMW 1602e, the first BMW electric car produced by the German group, for the 1972 Munich Olympics, in response to the ongoing oil crisis in the Middle East.
This car had an output of 32 kW and driving range of 30 km before recharging was required.
New powertrain technology is not all about alternative drive engines, however. Measures such as BMW EfficientDynamics have seen improvements to the traditional internal combustion engine.
“Between 1995 and 2010, the technology package brought carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new BMW Group vehicles sold in the European Union-15 states down by 30%,” says Kilfoil. “Today, our fleet has an average fuel consumption of 5.4 litres of diesel or 6.6 litres of petrol per 100 km. Average CO2 emissions stand at 148 g/km.
“We view these successes as encouraging. But at the same time, we realise that they represent no more than a first step in our comprehensive strategy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Already, more than 90% of the vehicles we sell around the world are covered by CO2, fuel consumption and tax legislation. However, different target values for different regions, varying measurement cycles and methods represent a major challenge for all automotive producers.”
BMW sold about 1.85-million cars and more than 117 000 motorcycles globally in 2012.