BMW i. Latest News.
BMW i. App.
BMW i stands for visionary electric cars and mobility services, inspiring design and a new understanding of premium that is strongly defined by sustainability. Use the BMW i App to find out if our vision can better your own. Track your current urban driving experience and explore our new vehicles to see if one might be right for you.
The heart of the app is the "Born Electric Analyzer", a tool that connects the user's journey through the city to a BMW i electric vehicle. iPhone and Android tracking capabilities allow users to trace their path through the city and pause to check mileage, petrol usage and other key driving statistics. The final results of the "Born Electric Analyzer" offer an in-depth look at the journey and a recommendation for the driver's ideal BMW i vehicle.
Alternatively, users can engage with a simulated journey planner and experience the benefits of BMW i solutions from home. Entering your start and end points will result in a recommendation of either the BMW i3 or BMW i8, depending on the needs of the user.
Car fans can explore both models, swiping through detailed interior and exterior views of the vehicles. Those looking for mobile solutions in fields such as car sharing or parking will find a host of options to explore: rich video and image material provide a comprehensive look at the different offers.
You can find the iPhone version of the app here.
The Android version can be downloaded in the Google Play store.
How it works:
BMW i Brand Store in London.
The BMW Group presented its first BMW i Store worldwide in London, unveiling a showroom that offers a completely new brand experience focused on sustainable mobility.
Alongside the presentation of the BMW i3 Concept with a new interior colour and materials concept, the “360° ELECTRIC” mobility product and service package was introduced to the public.
BMW i Makes its Big Screen Debut.
European premiere of "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" at BMW Welt in Munich on December 9th 2011 welcomes Tom Cruise and co-stars to the red carpet. The BMW i8 Concept is successor to the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Car which appears alongside many other BMW models in the recently released film.
With its ultra-modern architecture, BMW Welt played perfect host to the blockbuster event, which brought the film's star together with actress Paula Patton, producer Bryan Burk and Academy Award-winning producer Brad Bird.
In the film, Cruise can be seen driving the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics — whose successor, the BMW i8, will be ready for series production by 2014. Thanks to the fascinating sports car's wide range of technical features, Cruise's character Ethan Hunt is able to steer smartly, safely — and of course swiftly — through the city of Mumbai's notorious traffic.
"Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" opened in cinemas worldwide December 15th.
BMW i is now on foursquare.
foursquare, the world's leading location-based social network, is now host to hundreds of tips for sustainable design, curated by BMW i.
As an ever-expanding series of environmental issues leaves us to confront the way we shop, eat, sleep and explore, artisans and entrepreneurs all over the world are developing responsible initiatives better suited for a new set of behavioral needs. BMW i is where thorough sustainability, innovative mobile solutions and heightened design meet – and wherever you live, work or travel, there are venues who also uphold these principles.
With BMW i and foursquare, discover the parks, urban gardens, museums, restaurants, monuments, hotels, installations and transportation systems that advance your city forward. Get to know the architecture, art and industry around you that shares our vision: premium, visionary solutions for a clean and mobile future.
Leipzig: The Future Mobility Plant.
The first production centre for electro-mobility in Germany is a BMW plant: Our site in Leipzig. Around €400 million will have been invested in the production of the BMW i3 by 2013. The expansion of the plant will create approximately 800 jobs.
The expansion of the high-tech plant in Leipzig into a production centre for electro-mobility has started in March 2011. In a first step, the building which will house the construction of CFRP components, will be built. Body parts made out of the extremely light and strong material will be formed here.
In a next step, another building for the production of plastic parts and later on in the year, two further production halls will be constructed. In these new halls, the bodies of the BMW i3 and BMW i8 will be put together, fitted out and then attached to the drive module. The first vehicles should roll off of the production line in these new buildings in 2013.
Update: On October 26th 2011, the official topping out ceremony took place at the BMW plant Leipzig - exactly within the time plan. The celebration was attended by Saxony's Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich and the Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung. From 2013 on, the BMW i3 and a year later also the BMW i8 will be produced in this modern, highly efficient plant that will be powered by four wind turbines on-site.
BMW Plant Landshut: Ready for Carbon Fibre Production.
The BMW Landshut Plant begins carbon parts production for car of the future - the new CFRP Innovation and Production Centre with 100 new employees and record-level energy conservation.
The BMW production site for carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastics (CFRP) was inaugurated on March 2nd 2012. The new CFRP Innovation and Production Centre at the BMW Plant in Landshut, Germany will produce ultra-lightweight carbon parts that will compose about one third of body components for BMW i models, with production beginning in 2013.
"In carbon we see a meaningful high-tech material of the future," explains Dr. Herbert Diess, member of the BMW AG board for the Purchasing and Supplier Network. "We believe in this material — and we are trailblazers in this field."
The new production site was completed only eight months after the ground-breaking ceremony in July of 2010 and sets an ecological standard with its significant reduction in primary energy use, with energy consumption 25% below legal regulations.
The new site will also produce an additional 100 jobs in CFRP production. The BMW Plant in Landshut employs a total of approximately 3,000 workers and for more than 10 years has been an expert in carbon.
The Launch of BMW i.
BMW i, the new BMW sub-brand focused on developing sustainable mobility solutions was launched on Monday, February 21, 2011.
"BMW i represents a new movement in premium mobility. With the introduction of this new sub-brand, the BMW Group reaffirms its leadership as the most innovative and sustainable premium car company", Ian Robertson explained during the press conference, "Its products and services have been conceived around a revolutionary approach: purpose designed and purpose built for sustainable, premium mobility. It's a new day in our industry; a new era for individual mobility. This is BMW i – Born Electric", he said.
BMW i will launch with two vehicles. The fully electric BMW i3 – formerly known as the MegaCity Vehicle, and the BMW i8, a plug-in hybrid vehicle which provides both the efficiency of an electric vehicle, with unbeatable fuel efficiency and sports car performance.
“Both cars have been designed specifically for their respective alternative drive systems. We used the innovative architecture and CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic) to cancel out practically all of the extra weight added by the batteries. For our customers this means superior driving dynamics combined with significantly increased range using electric power,” explained Klaus Draeger. It was announced that, like the BMW i3, the BMW i8 will also be manufactured at the BMW plant in Leipzig.
BMW i encompasses a raft of developments. “Mobility requirements are changing in rapidly expanding megacities” Ian Robertson stated. “Our commitment to car-enabled mobility services, like BMW ConnectedDrive, will be significantly expanded under BMW i. We’ll also grow our car-related premium mobility services. What’s truly groundbreaking is that we’ll begin offering car-independent premium mobility services. BMW i aims to provide customised mobility solutions across a seamless network of premium products and premium services.”
To achieve this, a Venture Capital company was founded in New York City, BMW i Ventures. BMW i Ventures aims to invest in, and build long-term partnerships with projects which have high potential in the field of mobility services. Ian Robertson announced MyCityWay as the first strategic partnership: “As a mobile app, MyCityWay provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment for over 40 cities in the US. Another 40 cities will be part of the global rollout, including Munich, of course.”
