The surprise was all but ruined when a few of the first official pictures leaked onto the internet last week, but that hasn't stopped BMW from putting on a ceremonious unveiling for its cutting-edge i3 hatchback.
The i3 production model was revealed simultaneously in three cities on Monday with New York, London and Beijing doing the honours.
Described by its maker as a “revolutionary step towards sustainable mobility,” the i3 is a lightweight hatchback that was purpose-built around an electric drivetrain and there's even an extended range version for those with range anxiety.
But perhaps the boldest claim is that despite its eco focus, the car still has the same sporting genes as every BMW. In order to ensure its agility through the bends, BMW strategically placed the heavy electric drivetrain components in a low and central position.
Thanks to a chassis made from aluminium and a carbon fibre passenger cell, the i3 weighs just 1195kg and, according to BMW, the 125kW/250Nm electric motor will haul it from standstill to 100km/h in just 7.2 seconds. The top speed is limited to 150km/h in the name of efficiency.
The limited top end is also likely due to range issues as even under efficient driving conditions, the car is said to be capable of no more than 130 to 160km between chargers. The range-extended model, however, should achieve a 300km range thanks to a 25kW twin-cylinder petrol engine that kicks in the charge the battery when it's about to run out of amps.
A big selling point for the radical BMW will be its running costs. BMW reckons that the maintenance and running costs for the i3 in Germany, over a period of three years, will be about 40 percent lower than those of a BMW 320d automatic.
WELL CONNECTED
Thanks to ConnectedDrive innovations, the i3 claims to be the world's first fully networked electric car - offering a far-reaching exchange of information between the vehicle, driver and outside world.
The clever navigation system will warn you if the route you're planning is beyond the range of the vehicle and, of course, it'll find public charging stations for you.
Regardless of whether you have enough charge or not, the system is capable of incorporating public transport connections into your journey planning. It will even guide you from your parking space to your final destination and back.
When outside of the vehicle, the motorist can access its information via a smartphone, send destination info to the car's navigation system and even access the car's climate control system to activate it remotely.
As for driving assistance features, buyers can opt for high-end gadgets such as Collision Warning with braking function, Active Cruise Control with idle stop function, semi-automatic Parking Assistant and Traffic Jam Assistant.
The i3 goes on sale in Europe in November this year, with prices starting at €34 950 (R453 000). It will reportedly go on sale in South Africa next year, albeit in limited numbers. No local pricing has been released as yet.
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