BMW Ditches Formula One To Develop Hybrids

[JoshCalkins]

For those who follow Formula One racing, the power struggles and conflicts between the organizations governing board and the auto companies fielding the cars have been very evident this season. So much so, in fact, that a number of automakers are withdrawing from the series after their legal obligations are complete at the end of this season, and the latest is BMW. The German automaker hasn't given one definitive reason why they pulled out of the competition, but, through a number of different press releases, one is able to reconstruct what happened: they were angry at the direction the F1 board was taking, and they were sinking a few hundred million dollars into the races each year that could be used for better things. Hence, BMW's CEO, Norbert Reithofer had this to say, “As our company places stronger focus on sustainability initiatives, our participation in Formula One becomes less a key promoter of this engagement.”

So when will Bimmer fans see the fruits of this new cash injection into the development of "sustainability initiatives"? Sooner than you'd think. BMW will be unveiling a sustainable sports car this September at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Klaus Draeger, a BMW board member, said, “The BMW EfficientDynamics Vision will demonstrate how efficient a sports car can be.” Does that mean that the much-rumored Z2 will be getting an official unveil? We'll find out next month.

[Initial D.oug]

Let's hope they don't use the KERS system from their current F1 season.