It took just 46 minutes for BMW to define its new sub-brand, and to redefine ‘premium’. On Monday afternoon, a week before the Geneva motor show, Ian Robertson, BMW’s Board Member for Sales and Marketing, Dr Klaus Draeger, Board Member for Development, and Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, unveiled BMW i, BMW’s new sub-brand for electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV).
Robertson outlined the concept behind the company’s new “lifestyle” and “sustainability” sub-brand. Draeger confirmed that the brand’s first two models, the LifeDrive architecture-based i3 EV and the i8 PHEV, will be built at the company’s Leipzig plant from 2013; he also hinted at a full range of i-branded models, saying “3 is not the smallest, and 8 is not the largest”. Van Hooydonk explained the thinking behind the vehicle’s styling, and, as best he could with sketches, how the i brand will stand out from, yet retain core features of, the BMW brand: the idea is to identify and recognise the vehicles as BMW vehicles.
Much was said; but how much was new?
There’s nothing particularly new about the cars: the Megacity Vehicle concept becomes the i3, and the Vision EfficientDynamics concept becomes the i8. There’s no new logo, merely a reinterpretation of the BMW propeller. Tail lights will follow BMW brand design language, and i-cars will wear the BMW kidney grille, albeit in an aesthetic-only role. The large-diameter wheels will also reflect BMW brand styling, but their narrow profile will ensure improved aerodynamics.
Draeger confirmed that the brand’s first two models, the LifeDrive architecture-based i3 EV and the i8 PHEV, will be built at the company’s Leipzig plant from 2013; he also hinted at a full range of i-branded models
Even the name was a loosely guarded secret: “i” has been part of BMW branding for a decade, and was formalised in 2007 with the establishment of Project i. Yesterday’s presentation was the culmination of that division’s work to create a complete mobility concept, one which will work in tandem with portable electronic devices (many of which have “i” in their name).
Central to the i brand is connectivity. Into the mix, BMW brings its connected car technology. But that too has been an ongoing project. BMW had already announced that it would unveil its BMW Vision ConnectedDrive concept car at this year’s Geneva motor show.
We even knew where the cars would be built, and when. So what was the trick?
There was one surprise: BMW i Ventures, BMW’s new US$100m New York City-based venture capital company will “ensure a strong pipeline of premium services”. Its goal is to seek out and invest in mobility service-related companies, and its first strategic partnership has already been secured.
The trick behind the i brand is BMW’s holistic approach to mobility. “i” is more than X, Z or even M, because “i” is about much more than the cars
BMW i cars will be accompanied by a set of “premium mobility services”, themselves a generator of profits. These “car-independent services” will offer i-drivers better use of existing parking space, smart navigation using real-time traffic information, inter-modal transport solutions and premium car-sharing.
Thus the trick behind the i brand is BMW’s holistic approach to mobility. “i” is more than X, Z or even M, because “i” is about much more than just the purpose-built i cars; BMW has identified the need for a future-proof, megacity-enabled approach to selling cars and services, and like the i cars, it has ensured the i brand reflects the parent company’s premium attributes.
Yesterday’s launch was intended to reaffirm BMW’s “leadership as the most innovative and sustainable premium car company in the world today”. BMW will not be alone in creating a complete (premium) ‘car-plus’ brand for an era in which driving is becoming less important than connected mobility. But it got there first, and set the bar high.
Martin Kahl
