BMW CEO, Norbert Reithofer, said the company will likely “make a battery-powered ecologically compatible car for the U.S. market” Estimated launch date would be somewhere around 2012.
Sadly, BMW most likely would not have plans for such a model if the new CAFE standards were not going to take effect 2012. With the new CAFE standards BMW will be considered a “large vehicle manufacturer,” which means that it will be held to more stringent efficiency standards.
In an interview Tuesday with Mobile Magazine, Reithofer suggested that the vehicle could be a collaboration with another carmaker. “Our goal is a cooperation but if it does not work out, we will do it alone. We will make a decision this year,” he said. Reithofer added that the new vehicle might serve as the basis for the global launch of a new “mini car” designed for big cities.
