BMW i3 Spy Shot Video

It’s funny looking back to a few years ago when German car manufacturers wholeheartedly booed electric cars preferring hydrogen and fine-tweaking diesel. A few years later, Audi introduced its stunning e-tron, Mercedes developed the A segment to carry batteries and more, but the real surprise came from BMW. BMW quietly developed the i3 and i8 after a few stints asking AC Propulsion to modify some MINIs and now testing a few ActiveE Series 1 electric cars.

The i3 & i8 Duo. With the i3 “MegaCity” electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid i8, BMW spared no expenses and resources. Using state of the art technology, light yet sturdy materials put together in the most ingenious ways, the company strikes a powerful blow to its local competitors. See our BMW Invests In Coulomb Technologies And Offers Online i8 Price. While Audi is still testing its e-tron on the Nurburgring ring three years after showing it to us, see our Audi Readies R8 e-tron After Nurburgring Electric Car Track Record and Mercedes working on a uniform A platform that can house a traditional internal combustion engine, battery only operated drivetrain, plug-in hybrid and of course, the inevitable German daring, the hydrogen fuel cell technology, BMW seems to have taken a serious lead with the electric drivetrain.

By offering two cars, each uniquely carved out for a different segment of the market, the company will have a complete portfolio of electric car and plug-in hybrids. The i3, intelligently aims to seduce city dwellers, while the i8 squarely wants to wow those in search of performance and efficiency.

The latest spy shots also show the company is serious while binding its time refining such a drastic departure form its traditional combustion engine technology by leaking a few shots and videos here and there. See below the video via MotorAuthority.

But BMW also understands that with a new technology come new problems. The famous “range anxiety” made famous by companies caught unprepared to face a certain recession in 2008 has become a phobia for many. If BMW is to sell you an electric car and a first generation plug-in hybrid, even if very well engineered, it understands problems can happen. That why the German car manufacturer will also offer its electric and luxury car replacement system as part of its 4 pillar strategic approach.

BMW will probably be the traditional car company that will surprise us the most in the end with Ford. With its new U.S. car-sharing service called DriveNow in the San Francisco Bay Area where you can rent a battery-powered 1 Series Coupe, the company is definitely establishing itself as the leader with electric cars in Germany with its i3 “Megacity” and plug-in hybrid i8.