Jump to content
Forums Gone... but not forgotten!
Pontiac of the Month

FBIRD69's 1969 Firebird

2024 March
of the Month

  • Rev up your passion for Pontiacs and join our vibrant community of enthusiasts!

    Whether you're a die-hard fan of classic muscle cars or you've got a soft spot for sleek modern models, you've found your home here at Forever Pontiac. Our community is dedicated to celebrating everything Pontiac, from the iconic GTO to the legendary Firebird and everything in between.

    Unlock access to expert advice, stunning photo galleries, engaging discussions, exclusive events, and more!

    Start your Pontiac journey with us today!

    Sign up now! 🏁

Car and Driver: Forget EVs, It’s All About Autonomy Now: BMW Recasts Its i Division


FeedBot

Recommended Posts

2017 BMW i3

-

BMW’s “Project i” was set up to develop electrified vehicles, and the results have been the Mini E, the BMW 1-series Active E, and later, once the group had blossomed into the “i Division,” the i3 EV/PHEV and the i8 plug-in hybrid. The question has been what will the next “i” model be, but according to an interview with Reuters, BMW board member Klaus Froehlich reveals that the company’s future-think division has been relaunched to focus instead on autonomous driving technology.

-

That change of mission may explain the recent departure of four key executives from the division. It had been widely speculated that the i Division was beavering away on an electrified four-door sedan, the i5, which would do battle with the production version of Porsche’s Mission E electric sedan and, of course, Tesla. BMW had further trademarked the names i1 through i9, but now it appears the company won’t have much need for them. We wouldn’t expect much in the way of new i-brand models beyond the i8 roadster.

-

One reason is that sales of the i3 have proved disappointing, while autonomous driving is the new-new thing that has captured the collective imagination of the auto industry. In the interview, Froehlich shows an even more finely honed sense of the current zeitgeist by postulating that autonomous-driving i cars could allow BMW to launch its own ride-hailing service to compete against Uber and Lyft. If anything, the ride-hailing/car-sharing space has seen an even greater headlong rush by traditional carmakers—with General Motors (Maven, Lyft), Volkswagen (Gett), and Toyota (Uber) all announcing investments or partnerships within the last few months.

-
--
-

The idea seems to be that these moves will keep carmakers in the “personal mobility” business, even if auto sales fall off as a future of smartphone-hailed, autonomous cars replaces the traditional notion of car ownership and, you know, driving.

-_1O6w6v7xyc

Read Full Article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tired of these Ads? Register Today!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Tired of these Ads? Purchase Enhanced Membership today to remove them!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.