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BMW Considering Four-Cylinder Engines, Pure Electric Vehicle For U.S. Market

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In a speech at the Washington D.C. auto show on Tuesday, Tom Bologa, BMW North America's VP of Engineering, confirmed that the company is considering smaller engines for its U.S. lineup. "We are investigating bringing a new generation of four-cylinder engines to the U.S., each with an impressive mix of efficiency, cleanliness and performance," Bologa said.

He also confirmed the development of a pure electric car as part of BMW's Project i plan. The Mini E, which rolls out this spring, is the first leg of the project. "Based on the experience, we intend to bring to market an entirely newly designed vehicle featuring an electric drive system in the first half of the next decade," Bologa confirmed. 

As far as hybrids go, Bologa said BMW considers them part of the future, but sees only limited applications. "We do not yet see them as optimum for the way Americans drive and our transportation and living culture."

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1 Comment

cwc1 says:

07:26 PM, 02/ 6/09

How about some more diesels then?

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