Sounds like there may be a Merc challenger to the i3...
 

Much more pedestrian looking though...


Mercedes B-Class headed to America... but only as an EV?


http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....cept-paris.jpg

That looks more like the Active Tourer but EV only -

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=645709

I don't understand how BMW plans on differentiating the 1 Series Active Tourer from the i3. They seems to fit a similar niche space in terms of size and I don't think US consumers will buy one over the other simply based on drive configuration.

Tim

The W246 B Klasse is a larger car than the i3. The electric drive B is a conversion of an existing platform with much of the engineering work contracted out to Tesla. The i3 was designed from the ground up as a battery-EV.


I find it hard to believe that Mercedes will go to the considerable expense of Federalising/DOT approval just for the battery-electric version.

$5/gallon fuel in California should make a B200CDI appealing to some buyers. It has a Mercedes badge, seats 4 1/2 people and uses far less fuel than most cars sold in the US. 7 Speed automatic. 0-60 in 9.3 seconds


(I've driven the previous version W245 B200CDI. It was awful. I was surprised at how bad the handling and ride was. Best thing was the sound system. )


But you are right, the Active Tourer is a direct response the the W246.



http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/cont...vi:impressions