Reports from the German media suggest BMW could be planning to revive the classic Isetta nameplate for a new range of city cars developed under its 'Project i' ...er, project.
Isetta bubble car at BMW's Munich museum
In a speech earlier this week, BMW's chief exec Norbert Reithofer confirmed the existence of the project and the intention to develop a sub-brand.
'Project i is working on a Megacity vehicle as well as on new mobility concepts. The board has now decided: this auto will be launched on the market as a sub-brand of BMW. As BMW is the innovation driver within the group, the decision for a sub-brand under BMW is the most logical step,' he said.
Although BMW is not expected to reveal any more details until the Frankfurt show, pundits are speculating that Isetta (or more likely i-Setta) will be the name of choice for a 100mpg BMW city car. The speculation appears to be founded on two main clues - an advertising video promoting the BMW museum in Munich that features a myriad of animated miniature 'original' Isettas, and an 'inside source' quoted in a story on bmwblog:
'i-Setta will be a reimagining of the original cult classic using today’s and tomorrow's technology to provide urban mobility and sustainability in a lovable modern design wholly inspired by the original.'
Built in the '50s and '60s, the original BMW Isetta was a hugely popular minicar in its day. The new BMW version due to be revealed next year is expected to share a platform with Fiat's forthcoming city car that is currently codenamed Topolino - itself a homage to another bygone machine.
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