Volt Edition Canadian EV Sales accelerated growth in February, with 374 new plug-ins zooming around in Canadian streets, which represents a 89% increase regarding last year. The Volt consolidated its position in #1, with 102 units sold, up 168% regarding February '15, while the Tesla Model S is close to remove the Nissan Leaf from the second position. Below the podium, the Audi A3 e-Tron and Kia Soul EV have caught the BMW i3 off-guard and have a precious lead over the Bimmer in the race for the Fourth position.
Pl
Canada
Feb.
YTD
%
1
Chevrolet Volt
102
196
26
2
Nissan Leaf
51
123
16
3
Tesla Model S e)
75
122
16
4
Kia Soul EV e)
30
79
10
5 6 7
Audi A3 e-Tron BMW i3 e) P. Cayenne Plug-In e)
30 35 15
70 60 33
9 8 4
8
BMW i8 e)
5
16
2
9
Mitsubishi I-Miev
8
15
2
10
Ford C-Max Energi e)
8
13
2
11 12 13 14 15 15
Ford Fusion Energi e) BMW X5 40e PHEV e) Cadillac ELR Ford Focus Electric Chevrolet Spark EV Smart Fortwo ED
7 5 3 1 1
12
6
4 3 1 1
2 1 1 0 0 0
TOTAL
374
754
100
e) Estimate Source: Greencarreports; Good Car Bad Car
Two days ago BMW celebrated a centenary. They are now focused on BMW’s vision for the future of mobility in the next 100 years. As part of the celebration, they unveilled their Vision Next 100 Concept Car. Four key factors underpin the BMW VISION NEXT 100
A genuine BMW is always driver-focused. For autonomous driving, it’s no longer a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. The BMW Group believes that BMW drivers will let their cars do the work – but only when the driver wants. The BMW VISION NEXT 100 remains a genuine BMW, offering an intense experience of Sheer Driving Pleasure.
Artificial intelligence and intuitive technology become one. Artificial intelligence will learn from us, anticipating many of our wishes and working away in the background to perform the jobs we delegate to it. The way humans and technologies interact will be transformed: screens and touchscreens will be replaced by more intuitive forms of human-machine communication and interaction. Better yet: technology will become more human.
New materials open up breathtaking opportunities. In the future, how will cars be manufactured? At some point, presses that punch out hundreds of thousands of steel parts may well become obsolete – the use of carbon may already be a first indication of the sea-change that is imminent in the world of automotive materials and production. Technologies such as rapid manufacturing and 4D printing will produce not components or objects but intelligent, networked materials and could soon replace conventional tools to open up unimagined possibilities in design and engineering.
Mobility will remain an emotional experience. BMW vehicles have never been a means of getting from one place to the next. Far more, a BMW is about looking to the next bend in the road, feeling the power of the engine and enjoying the sense of speed; it’s about the sensory experience, the adrenaline rush or that intimate moment at which a journey begins. Moving into the future, that’s not set to change – because the emotional experience of mobility is firmly fixed in our collective corporate memory. By keeping the driver firmly in the foreground, the BMW VISION NEXT 100 will heighten this emotional experience in an unprecedented way.
