BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer confirmed that the company is making a tiny ‘mega city’ car. First unveiled by Autocar in April, the project is being driven by pollution and fuel economy rules that will potentially affect both the US and EU.
“It’ll be a car with a completely new look, with two engines available. One will be a very efficient combustion engine and the other will be a purely electric model,” Reithofer told the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit.
The electric-powered microcar will comply with Californian regulations, which dictate that by 2012 a fuel cell or battery-powered vehicle must have a range of over 200 miles.
By the time the new city car arrives those rules will be in place, though the frugal and super-clean internal combustion engine will still be the big European seller.
There’s no news on whether the car will wear the BMW badge, but BMW has previously said it was considering launching a fourth, ‘green’ brand. Reviving the old Isetta marque is said to be one of the possibilities.
Source: AutoCar
