BMW will build 500 all-electric Minis and import them into California, today’s reports say. The project is headed up by BMW’s Project i unit, which was created to develop a low emission city car. All of the cars will sport silver paintjobs with yellow roofs, according to BMW sources.
The cars’ shells will be pushed of the Mini production line in Oxford, England without an engine, gearbox or fuel tank, and then shipped to Munich, Germany, where their electric drivetrain will be installed, say Automotive News Europe reports. Of the 500 cars, 490 will be leased to qualified customers in California, with 10 cars earmarked for demonstration duty.
The cars will enable BMW to offer a vehicle that meets California’s new regulations that require auto manufacturers to sell cars that emit no emissions.
BMW is thus far keeping mum about the gas-free cars. “BMW will announce whether it will build electric vehicles or not later this year,” said Mini spokesperson Cypselus von Frankenberg.
