Megacity, 10 years on...

[frictioncircle]

In the early 2010s BMW started to share details about their upcoming electric vehicles. We drive them today as the i3 and i8.

Back then the i3 was referred to as the BMW Megacity Vehicle, a name that didn't last very long. In 2013 BMW delivered – the production version (other than the transparent door sections) didn't stray far from the concept designs..

Articles and links go stale quickly, so I was surprised to find these two not just live, but with good galleries intact. I've not seen most of these drawings or photos before.

The first, from MotorAuthority, July 2011, has an excellent collection of concept renderings.
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1064066_bmw-i3-concept-the-megacity-vehicle-finally-revealed

Second, this article from NewAtlas, July 2010, has an interesting selection of crash test pictures which show interesting details of the Life module.
https://newatlas.com/bmw-megacity-vehicle/15636/

 

[derekgates]

Sheesh, cool finds! I am fascinated with how cool the concept photos look. I think the exterior styling of charge port, fog lights, etc in the concepts would have really helped with the styling of the i3 in the public opinion. It feels like they backed off on some of the radical designs in the i3 but not in the i8. While the i8 is lauded for style, the i3 is in a weird state of futuristic looks but also trying to be realistic. hmm.

Super cool photos in the factory showing the materials being created and the crash pictures!

 

[Deutsch100]

Super cool. Thank you!!!