BMW Design boss Adrian van Hooydonk explains to press-conference attendees how the BMW i emblem was developed? and, most important, why i vehicles are bona fide BMWs. The sub-brand concept somewhat mirrors the high-performance method; however, BMW i has two proprietary logos. Gracing the nose and rump of every i model are what look like traditional blue-and-white emblems, but there is a slight difference between the old and the new: the new badge is surrounded by a Bavarian-blue ring. The companion mark is a slanted lowercase i, which appears as part of the model designation on the right side of the trunk lid. The i comes from Project i, the internal designation for the team of designers and engineers commissioned in 2007 to investigate whether or not BMW should build electric cars. Apparently they think they should. The plan is to introduce the first two BMW i models, the i3 and i8, in 2013. The i3 is the threedoor, four-seat hatchback formerly known as the Megacity vehicle. Powered by lithiumion batteries, its electric motor is reported to develop the equivalent of 170 horsepower. Initially the i3 will only be sold in crowded urban environments of 10,000,000 inhabitants or more. Sources say its base price will be close to $50,000, and BMW plans a production run of 30,000 cars within five years. The i8 is a four-seat sports car based on 36 ROUNDEL MAY 2011 the Vision Efficient Dynamics prototype introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show. A plug-in hybrid-drive vehicle, its motivation is rumored to be the two-liter fourcylinder engine also slated to replace the N53 six-cylinder three-liter in X1, Series, ll BMW i models are based on an aluminum chassis with a carbon-fiberreinforced plastic passenger compartment. The lightweight material virtually cancels out the weight of the batteries. our customers, this means superior i OFFERS VISIONARY CARS AND SERVICES, INSPIRING DESIGN, AND AN ENTIRELY NEW CONCEPT OF PREMIUM MOBILITY?ALL WITH A FOCUS ON and Series models. But another rumor regarding a three-cylinder diesel engine?which is what appeared in the concept car in 2009. The base price for the i8 is rumored to be about $157,000. An i8M, developed by BMW GmbH with a four-liter twinturbocharged V8, will command $240,000. driving dynamics, combined with significantly increased range, using electric says BMW development chief Klaus Draeger. The first two BMW i models will be built at Leipzig, Germany, plant? where the company is investing about $500,000,000; they are recruiting 800 more people to staff the production line.