BMW Puts the 'i' in Sharing

Not only is BMW demonstrating a new combativeness about competing for share in the recovering U.S. luxury-car market – it's now reviewing its American advertising agencies – but the German automaker also is looking for ways to extend the BMW brand as a kind of shorthand for all types of “automobility” worldwide.

Most of the latter is being done under the banner of “BMWi,” which the company launched earlier this year as a channel for a series of hybrid and electric vehicles that BMW has in the pipeline.

“With the introduction of this new sub-brand, the BMW Group reaffirms its leadership as the most innovative and sustainable premium car company," explained Ian Robertson, BMW board member responsible for sales and marketing.

BMW has just introduced two new initiatives under its growing BMWi sub-brand: a venture-capital group in New York and a “premium ride-sharing” service in Germany called DriveNow. Both efforts are aimed at establishing BMW as the world’s premiere source of information and technology for getting around in the globe’s growing cities.

DriveNow — a partnership with MINI and Sixt — will be launched initially in Munich and then in Berlin, with “international expansion” also on the docket. Users wil be able to can conveniently pick up and drop off vehicles wherever they happen to be or want to. Usage is billed by the minute, including the costs of fuel and of parking in public areas.

“There is a growing demand for flexible-mobility products in urban areas,” Robertson said. “We are aiming to launch a profitable new line of business while at the same time introducing potential new customers to our brands.”

BMWi Ventures is a $100-million venture-capital fund that plans to invest in such technologies and is looking for space in Manhattan to serve as an incubator. 

With that kind of cash available, BMW should be able to get more than a studio apartment.