A MAJOR car brand it set to change the way it names petrol motors ending 50 years of proud tradition.
After months of rumours, bosses at car giant BMW have confirmed they are set to break with the past and drop the “i” symbol from petrol motors.
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BMW introduced the “i” in the 1970s to signify that a car was fuel -injected.
But since then all BMWs have become fuel-injected, rendering the “i” a little redundant.
However since the premium brand introduced electric cars, “i” symbol was used to represent “innovation.”
Once the “i” symbol began to appear on both petrol and electric vehicles, it began to lose all significance.
So now executives at the famous firm have decided to retire the symbol from petrol cars. It will continue to be used on electric motors.
Bernd Körber, BMW’s Senior VP of Brand Management, said: “Historically, even though our interpretation of BMW i was always different, it’s more innovation, not necessarily only electric, and we historically had injection at the end [of the badge].
“We said would like to keep ‘i’ as an asset, and we would like to keep it as a signature to indicate you’re driving an electric car and that was the logic that we had.”
Future petrol BMW models will be simpler now, with the first number indicating the model and the last two numbers indicating the engine.
The first BMW to drop the “i” will be the next-gen X3, followed by the 1 Series and likely 2 Series Gran Coupe, according to the in-house BMWBlog.
The 7 Series might also drop the letter with its upcoming facelift.
BMW’s famous badge is made up of a blue-and-white quarter check design enclosed within a black circle bearing the manufacturer’s initials.
However not many owners will appreciate what the badge alludes to.
What is now Bayerische Motoren Werke (which translates to Bavarian Motor Works) started out over 100 years ago.
Its forefather was the Otto Flugmanshinfabrik, an aircraft manufacturing firm founded by Gustav Otto in what was then the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1910.
The company was a pioneer in the research and development of early aircraft.
However, after Bavaria was absorbed into the German state in 1919 , the company was reorganised, taking on the BMW name in 1922.
An urban myth emerged that the blue-and-white check pattern represents a spinning propeller of the sort that was found on early planes.
However, the blue and white sections within the ring actually represent the colours of the company’s home state – the State of Bavaria, not a propeller.
Fred Jakobs, archive director for BMW, said: “For a long time, BMW made little effort to correct the myth that the BMW badge is a propeller.
“This interpretation has been commonplace for 90 years, so in the meantime, it has acquired a certain justification.”
It comes after a car expert urged drivers to pick up a “future classic” hot hatch for less than £8,000… and don’t be fooled by its cute looks.
And elsewhere, a super-fast EV charger has been unveiled with the ability to power a car for hundreds of miles in just 10 minutes.
