In a statement released yesterday from Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Dr. Reithofer said, in relevant part:
We were the very first car company to establish premium in the small car segment.
For almost a decade, MINI has been the clear leader and trendsetter in this segment. Other car companies see how successful we have been with MINI and are now trying to follow in our footsteps.
In the future, we intend to participate even more in the growth of the small car segment.
This is why we are also planning to offer smaller BMW models – positioned below the BMW 3 Series – with front-wheel drive.
These models with front-wheel drive will also be made available to our customers with a hybrid engine.
For this very reason, we are strengthening our strategic cooperation with PSA:
Our cooperation is focused on developing and producing components for hybrid front-wheel drives. Additional economies of scale will be achieved by pooling certain purchasing activities.
I am talking specifically about e-drives, generators, and power electronics that control the interaction between a battery and electric drive.
We regard hybrids as an intermediate step toward achieving the goal of sustainable mobility.
The first fully electric, large-scale car of the BMW Group is scheduled to be launched in 2013.
I would like to emphasize that even when we talk about electric drive, we remain focused on offering our customers dynamics and sheer driving pleasure.
[Source:
BMW Group PressClub USA]
