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BMW i Ventures buys in to ParkatmyHouse.com

BMW i-Ventures invest in ParkatmyHouse.com Earlier this year – when BMW launched their BMW-i Brand – there was also news of a new BMW company – BMW i Ventures – which BMW said they were setting up to invest in interesting stuff related to cars. BMW stated their goal as “…to expand the range of products and services offered by BMW i in the long term by taking stakes in highly innovative service providers”, and their first investment was in to an app business -  My City Way – which provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment. BMW argue – very sensibly – that our fuel usage can be cut by using common sense and new technology.

BMW plotting a hydrogen fuel cell EV

The BMW i3 EV (pictured) will eventually be joined by a hydrogen fuel cell BMW BMW has now taken its first fully-fledged step in to the electric car market with the BMW i3, revealed in full earlier this week. The i3 is a properly competent offering from BMW and it seems likely that, despite a price pushing on £30k even after the taxpayer bribe for EVs, that they will find a ready market in their affluent customer base for the i3 as a second (or third, or fourth…) car for local runarounds. BMW has even managed to negate range anxiety by offering the option of a range-extender engine in the i3 – basically a BMW motorcycle engine to charge the battery when it runs out of juice – so BMW’s customers who may wish to use their i3 for more than just a trip the shops can do so without getting stranded.

Volvo, Geely working on shared architecture

Geely and its Volvo ward are working at developing a new compact car architecture that will be shared by both companies. For Volvo, this means a smaller luxury car, possibly a few. The platform will be modular, as is practically required in this day and age, ready to underpin different body styles or—if need be—an entirely new lineup.