The Very First All-Electric Powered Automobile unveiled by BMW

BMW has revealed its first all-electric car,
saying it plans to clinch a significant share of
a market still in its infancy. Launching its
BMW i3 model, the German group compared
the prospects of the electric car market to
the technical revolution of the mobile
telephone, but declined to give any sales or
production targets."What the mobile phone
did for communication, electric mobility will
do for individual mobility," chief executive
Norbert Reithofer said as the car debuted in
London, Beijing and New York."The BMW i3
is more than an evolutionary step — it is a
great leap forward."The series-produced
model will go on sale in Europe in November
to be followed in the United States, China,
Japan and several other markets in the first
half of 2014. It will hit the German market at
a price of 34,950 euros (N7.4m).Commercial
director Ian Robertson told reporters that the
market for electric cars remained young but
said BMW was not seeking to be a niche
player. "We're entering the market to be a
significant player," he said. The Munich-
based company trumpeted technological
features of the model, which can seat four,
including a carbon fiber passenger cell to
help offset the weight of the batteries and an
aluminum chassis. BMW said the global
market for electric vehicles was showing
"positive development". "After almost 93,000
electric vehicles were registered worldwide
last year, a total of 150,000 units is already
forecast for the current year," a statement
said Germany set a target in 2008 of having
one million electric cars on its roads in 2020
and said it wanted to be a pilot market in the
field.