BMW MegaCity May Be Offered On Lease Only Basis
BMW is looking for an alternative to traditional purchasing options for their upcoming MegaCity urban vehicle, as the high cost of developing substantially new technology may result in the vehicle becoming prohibitively expensive for consumers. Among the projects being considered are a car-sharing service similar to the one operated by Daimler for their Smart car EVs. “More and more people in large cities are looking for an alternative to the ownership of a vehicle,” said Ian Robertson, BMW’s sales chief, in an interview with Automotive News.
The Megacity represents a radical shift from the traditional automobile by using a full electric drivetrain combined with a passenger cell constructed entirely from carbon fiber. The vehicle’s construction is said to be different from a traditional unibody, and doesn’t require things like paint or conventional crash protection methods. Naturally, the cost of the new technology will be astronomical, and the 6-year engineering time needed for the car will seem paltry compared to the challenge of selling and marketing such a car.
[Source: Automotive News]
More by Derek Kreindler
Comments
Join the conversation