BMW is known as the ultimate tease car company. After years of false promises, the German giant is finally going all in on, oddly enough, the electric car. 

BMW is known for its technical excellence, which more than makes up for its rather plain car designs. This technical excellence has taken a hit over the last decade. First was the Formula 1 disaster where the company was able to produce exactly one win when competing against the might of Ferrari, Mercedes and the like in a seven year run.

Following its withdraw from Formula 1 [if you can’t beat them…quit!], BMW took further hits for releasing project cars and rumors it never intended to follow up on. GINA is a classic example and, all in all, the company has lost a lot of credibility in the auto industry where cute experiments simply don’t cut it. 

BMW apparently realizes it has lost some of its luster. Given this, it has taken a very strange step. It has announced it will develop tens of thousands of electric cars in a new factory it is sinking over 550 million Euros into. Unlike its other “bluffs”, this one appears serious as no less than German Chancellor Angela Merkel participated in the announcement. 

So, what are we to make of this move by BMW? It is very odd and again must make one wonder about the leadership at the company. Don’t get me wrong. I am all for electric car development, but BMW is going all in on a car concept that currently has no market. The Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt may establish there is a big market for the car…then again, they may show the market simply doesn’t exist given the state of the world. Why BMW would jump in now is beyond me and almost seems a sign of desperation. 

What can we expect to see with the new BMW electric car. Well, let’s hope the name doesn’t reflect the car since the first name being floated is “Megacity”. Yes, you read that right. Yes, it sounds like a film from Pixar. The BMW “Megacity.” In truth, one has a feeling the company will borrow heavily from its wildly successful Mini Cooper brand. At least one hopes so. 

“Megacity.”

Oh, my.