BMW is putting some big numbers to its electrification efforts. At a media event in Munich on Thursday ahead of next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker announced plans to bring to market at least 25 electrified vehicles by 2025 -- 13 of which will be fully electric. The new models are expected to be marketed through all of BMW AG's brands, including Mini and Rolls-Royce, but may also include BMW Motorrad, its motorbike division.
Most interestingly, Harald Krüger, BMW chairman of the board, revealed Tuesday that his company will show a four-door, pure-electric concept car in Frankfurt under its i sub-brand. The car will be designed to slot between its i3 electric urban runabout and i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe. Few concrete details were revealed about the coming show car, but reading between the lines, it's clear that BMW is incubating a Tesla competitor -- likely a rival for the Model 3. The car's design is expected to be influenced by the Vision Next 100 (shown below), a futurethink concept vehicle designed to commemorate BMW's centennial.
Word from inside the executive circles at Ford is that they're gearing up to chase Tesla, too. How long before the last internal combustion engine production car rolls off the line, 5 years, 10 years, or 15?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 10 2017, @07:38PM
> ... General Motors ... were going to seriously invest on battery-powered cars on their own, they would have started before Tesla.
How quickly they forget, the GM EV-1 was a very serious product. Yes, it was a pilot project and yes, all the cars were recalled when the leases ended, but it was so successful that some of the owners tried to buy out their leases.
Update -- the crusher didn't get them all!!
http://jalopnik.com/why-is-this-500-000-electric-car-collecting-dust-in-ro-875060713 [jalopnik.com]
And all this about 10 years before Musk started Tesla.