BMW Brilliance plans new energy vehicle for Chinese market

Shanghai November 3 (Gasgoo.com) After successfully launched the long-wheelbase version of the BMW 5 Series sedan in China, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. now plans to design and develop a new energy vehicle tailored to the Chinese taste, the company's Senior Vice President of Marketing Dr.Daniel Kirchert recently said in an interview with the Oriental Morning Post at the China green enterprises summit forum held in Lhasa.

The new energy vehicle to be developed by BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., BMW AG's Chinese venture with Brilliance China, is reportedly will be an electric vehicle. The intellectual property will belong to both partners. Dr.Daniel Kirchert said the company will also consider exporting this electric vehicle.

Megacity electric car

BMW AG is the first luxury car maker which has announced to launch the all-electric vehicles in China. At present, it has started testing its Mini E electric car in real road conditions in the country, as one of the cooperative research projects under the framework of Sino-German economic and technological cooperation forum.

The road test is supported by the National Development and Reform Commission, German Economy and Technology Ministry, the Beijing and Shenzhen governments, as well as other relevant government departments. The German automaker has begun to recruit testers for the Mini E all-electric car, Xu Zhijun, President of BMW (China) Trading Co., Ltd. revealed.

BMW AG said earlier at the Beijing Motor Show that it would put its first volume-production vehicle, the Megacity electric car, on the market by 2013.