BMW attempting to recruit 700 people to lease the all electric ActiveE 1 Series for $499 a month for 24 months

[Sticky]

Sad, sad times at BMW these days. We understand electrics are going become more and more popular in the future but how in the world is it that the company who coined "The Ultimate Driving Machine" is pushing slow and heavy electrics in the USA over their best performance cars? Is there really a bigger market for people to be guinea pigs for an unproven all electric car for 24 months at $499 a pop (plus downpayment of $2,250) than for an M3 GTS, CSL, or even the new diesel M cars? Ultimate what?

We think BMW will find enough insane hippies in California alone to make this happen. BMW is calling the lessees "Electronauts" as they state they are adventurers and explorers. What can you really explore with a 100 mile range? What kind of adventure or excitement can you have in a car that takes 9 seconds to get to 60 other than someone with a real Ultimate Driving Machine honking for you to move the hell out of the way?

BMW's take:

BMW Electronaut /i-'lek-trə-nät/ n.
A BMW ActiveE driver; one of 700 adventurers and explorers. A front runner of innovation, and an advocate for sustainability. A surveyor of the present, and a proponent of the future — the future of mobility.

BimmerBoost's take:

BMw Electronaut /i-'lek-trə-nät/ n.
Not a real BMW driver; one of 700 politically correct brainwashed hippies thinking they will save the planet by running a vehicle off an electric grid still mostly powered by fossil fuels. Blind to present diesel technology, a proponent of smugly telling all their friends they are saving the planet - soon to dethrone Prius drivers as the most pompous eco hippies on the road.

If interested in joining this cult, please check out http://www.bmwusa.com/ActiveE

[LZH]

I'll give them $50k if they let me drive it off the Santa Monica pier and then swim over to my Cigarette and do a high speed fly by.

[Sticky]

I'll chip in a few bucks.

[rader1]

wow, someone seems to have a grudge against electric cars. if they'd drop the price a couple hundred bucks and waive the downpayment i'd do it.

[Sorena]

The idea behind EV cars is worlds better than hybrids, but still i don't find it useful. Hydrogen is the future.

[Sticky]

wow, someone seems to have a grudge against electric cars. if they'd drop the price a couple hundred bucks and waive the downpayment i'd do it.

No grudge against electrics, grudge against the pussification of BMW especially in the USA.

Would it kill them to offer this electric junk AND the awesome new diesel motor?

[fundahl]

I think it's great.

BE HAPPY that they kept the electric RWD!

Image how fun this would be if it was a 400HP electric motor with a decent range. The time will come.....

[FLYING X5]

So I got to ask, but how is this any better than the Tesla? Besides the obvious of it being a BMW... Don't the Tesla's get more than 100 miles on a single charge already... (granted the tesla is in the $100k price range)... Seems like BMW is behind the curve a little, if you ask me..

How bout more hybrids... But instead of a gas / electric hybrid, how bout a Diesel / Electric Hybrid?... or is that an even stupider idea than this Active E crap...

[rader1]

if they would do a diesel electric hybrid i'd sign up for it right now..

[Sticky]

if they would do a diesel electric hybrid i'd sign up for it right now..

That is originally what the i8 was supposed to be.

[FLYING X5]

BMW isn't doing a great job of appealing to the people... Much like our current government... Are they taking lessons from each other?

BMW:
-Won't release 'M' diesels in NA market (i didn't participate in that survey, who did?)
-Releases Electric Cars that compared to what Tesla and Fisker have released are childs play (these guys have electrics with 200+ mile ranges)
Hell the Chevy Volt does a better job than the Active E crap
-Won't do a Diesel/Electric Hybrid (I believe Mercedes Benz is working on one, as is Volvo)
-Thinks the NA won't buy diesels because of the stigma of the 70's (again, who are they surveying?)

[Sticky]

BMW:
-Won't release 'M' diesels in NA market (i didn't participate in that survey, who did?)
-Releases Electric Cars that compared to what Tesla and Fisker have released are childs play (these guys have electrics with 200+ mile ranges)
Hell the Chevy Volt does a better job than the Active E crap
-Won't do a Diesel/Electric Hybrid (I believe Mercedes Benz is working on one, as is Volvo)
-Thinks the NA won't buy diesels because of the stigma of the 70's (again, who are they surveying?)

All of this big giant +1

[FLYING X5]

Talk about the ultimate mod... (For the Diesel Owners). Covert your Diesel into a Diesel / Electric Hybrid...

I won't even think about it on my end... I don't even have a Diesel... The cost to even covert to a diesel would be insane... A shame I can't trade in my X5 for the diesel and still only owe the same amount on my loan...

[dzenno@PTF]

i think people need to be more open minded to future fueling possibilities...in the end i really don't care what fuels my engine as long as it delivers...as long as the driving dynamics and power delivery keep getting enhanced and worked on I could care less...don't take away from suspension, body work, speed, power and i really won't care what fuel the thing is running on...you want engine, exhaust or other noises? well, there's ways to emulate that really well lol