2014 BMW i3

BMW has made good on its plans for developing an urban vehicle for the metropolitan areas. It’s unveiled the first sketches and official details on the future Megacity Vehicle due to come to the market in 2013, which we now know as the i3. According to BMW, it will be the world’s first volume-produced vehicle with a passenger cell made from carbon. The i3 will be built on a new LifeDrive architecture that will help reduce the car’s weight by 250 to 300 kg (551 to 661 pounds).

The LifeDrive concept consists of two horizontally separated, independent modules. The Drive module integrates the battery, drive system, and structural and crash functions into a single construction within the chassis. Working in conjunction with the Drive module is the Life module, which consists primarily of a high-strength and extremely lightweight passenger cell made from CFRP. These aspects of car building will lead the way to a whole new process for building cars. A process that will be simpler, more flexible, and use less energy.

In an interview with Automotive News, BMW revealed plans on selling 30,000 units of the i3, which they say is "comparable to one of the lower-volume Mini derivatives." BMW also revealed that when it does go on sale in 2013, the i3 will be priced at about €40,000 in Europe, or about $55,000 at the current exchange rates.

UPDATE 07/02/2013: BMW dropped the first teaser video/commercial for the upcoming i3 electric car set to be unveiled on July 29th, 2013.

UPDATE 07/10/2013: Finally, after months of speculation, rumors, denials, confirmations and spy shots, BMW has released the majority of the information on the i3 and 16 images. You can read all about the i3 after the jump. The official unveiling is still set for July 29th, which is when the i3 will drop its last few strips of camo and reveal all of its details.

Exterior

The i3 really offers no grand surprises on the outside. It retains the same three-door hatchback setup with a pair of rearward-swinging quarter doors that we expected to see. The i3 does get a more mainstream look than we all anticipates, with its very plain front end that features the slightly forward-leaning grille and headlights that look to run all the way to the grille underneath the remaining camo.

The profile view of the i3 is about as plain-Jane as it comes, as the anticipated swooping roofline is not as dramatic as we were expecting. In place of the dramatic roofline is a swooping window-line that seems almost awkward as you reach the rear-quarter window. Under the camp, you can see one unique bodyline that looks to run the base of the front and rear door windows, then kick up sharply as you approach the rear-quarter window. Short of that neat line, the rest of the profile view is about as vanilla and un-BMW-like as it gets.

Posted by Fly Supercars