Media Alert: BMW to Unveil the BMW i3 and BMW i8 Concept Vehicles for the First Time in North America at a Special Sneak Preview Event on Wednesday, November 9th in New York City

Please Note: This is a media preview event.  All media must RSVP in advance to Phil DiIanni at pdiianni@rubenstein.com or (212) 843-8323.

The Fully-Electric BMW i3 and Hybrid-Electric BMW i8 are the First Purpose-Built Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicles to be Made Primarily of Carbon Fiber.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – November 3, 2011…BMW will host a special sneak-preview event to unveil for the first time in North America what it considers to be the cars of the future – the BMW i3 and BMW i8 concept vehicles.  These concepts represent the first purpose-built electric and electric-hybrid vehicles to be made primarily of carbon fiber when they become available in 2013 and 2014, respectively.  The unveiling will take place in New York City on Wednesday, November 9th at 11:00 a.m. EST at Center 548 (548 West 22nd Street between 10th & 11th Avenues).

The BMW i8 Concept, which is also the successor to the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics car featured in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise to be released in December, is a sleek, low-slung, silver and bright blue sports car with flip-up doors.  The BMW i3 Concept, previously known as the “megacity vehicle,” is more compact for congested city driving and features the same color scheme with large glass doors that open “coach” style, i.e. the rear doors opening in the opposite direction from the front. 

Both vehicles will make their official North American debuts at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 16th and 17th, but will be featured at this special sneak-preview event which will also include a presentation on the BMW i brand, a walk-around of both vehicles by their exterior designer, Richard Kim, and presentation by BMW Manager of Electric Vehicle Operations & Strategy, Rich Steinberg. 

Because of its light weight, carbon fiber technology is expected to fundamentally change the car industry, allowing automakers to create lighter, more efficient and sustainable vehicles with reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions.

In 2025, 8 billion people will live on the planet; 4.5 billion will live in cities. There will be 1.8 billion cars on the roads.  In order to address the personal mobility needs of people living within the world’s most densely populated urban city centers, BMW created BMW i – the sustainable new sub-brand whose mission is to develop visionary vehicles and mobility services. 

WHAT:   BMW i3 & i8 Sneak Preview Event

WHO:      Richard Kim, exterior designer, BMW i

                Rich Steinberg, BMW Manager of Electric Vehicle Operations &  Strategy

WHEN:     Wednesday, November 9

                 10:15 a.m. EST Press check-in 
                 11:00 a.m. EST Presentation begins

                 Lunch to follow

WHERE:    CENTER 548

                   548 West 22nd Street

                   (Between 10th & 11th Avenues)