German Car Zone

Is it customary for Germans to take stuff that doesn't belong to them?
Oh, and by the looks of it the Isetta is a 4-wheeler it just has a very narrow rear track.

Well, there is always the option to put a gigantic vehicle tax on old cars but that is note doable politically. Like I said, there has to be a cheap enough option for the poor people. Not until then, we can have no real inpact on the invironment (as it is now, they are targeting 1/10.000 of the population, just because they are rich). Not that the private usage of cars make any real difference, that is just decided by politiciancians as it is an easy target, what we eat influence the co2 much mote, at a factor of about 10.

All measures have to be taken towards the masses, not the elite.

Excellent post, I would respectfully change your last sentence to read "not just the elite".

...and I would gladly agree!

Something has to end - BMW in F1.

Yes. The concept is to promote the BMW Museum but as with marketing you have to find the hidden meaning. Isetta is iconic to BMW.
By advertising the Isetta by means of promoting the museum we are giving people the opportunity to understand our history.
Some people are ignorant in their BMW history and think everything begins with the M3. Besides this is another element of our "Joy" campaign as well bringing these little Isettas and leaving them for people to find is quite ingenious because they are picking them up and taking them home, back to the office etc. A piece of "Joy" left for them .

Think about you are having a bad day at the office and you wander into the streets for a cigarette to escape from the pressure and you find an arrangement of these small Isettas on a bench or beside a fountain or at a table at a cafe or bier haus. You pick it up you look at it , you examine it and you smile.

When Isetta was originally launched the campaign was of simularities to today's "Joy" it was a reflection of those times in post war Germany and the beginning of prosperity and a bright future.

And when the time comes people will be able to identify the i-Setta as that small iconic little car someone picked up off a street reimagined as a modern concept.

Besides I do not think giving away miniature M3's would have the same effect as the Isetta.

And especially our Munich based members can post their findings here. And dont worry if you cannot make it to Munich , BMW will also promote the Museum at the IAA so you could be looking at the new Mercedes SLS or Grand Bentley and find a line of Isettas on the car.

I love the idea of a new Isetta.

Scott, did that concept along the lines of the Dutch Carver, tricycle with a seating capacity of two get the green light?

The thread title sounds like we are in the movie the Matrix But seriously, I love this idea and am very interested in seeing what is produced. The Smart is definitly getting more popular by the day here in the US, I saw two just yesterday. I don't know if it will be a commercial success here in the USA but atleast I see sales are growing for sure.

According to Norbert Reithofer Isetta will not be a forth brand but rather a sub-brand of BMW. So it will not be the Isetta like it is the MINI, but we will see a "BMW Isetta". Can you confirm this? Of course Reithofer didn't say Isetta, but he talked about a sub-brand, so it is quite obvious what he was referring to.

BMW: Elektrofahrzeugprojekt "Megacity Vehicle" wird nicht vierte Marke - News - FOCUS Online

Yes.

Most probably it will be "isetta by BMW". Or "BMW isetta"

That's the latest news / compromise. A fresh one. Put on-the-record at today's press conference, and decided a few days ago.

Since the marketing guys finally won over - pushing Isetta trademark forward. Although it was initially said by the Board there would not be a sub-1er model by BMW brand - and they opted for microMINI kind of car - a sub-MINI Mini.

But the tables have turned. Also due to the latest shift with which BMW Group (and BMW brand) has to become the leaders in sustainability - therefore offering isetta under BMW badge will also be a statement of company's determination to sustainability.

It will indeed be a special sub-division of BMW. But de facto an individual brand. Since it won't be anything like any other BMW. Even more individual & special than M brand - which is "just" a brand of in-house tunned BMW cars.

Sub-brand under BMW is a link to the original BMW Isetta - therefore a huge secondary publicity is expected. And it won't need a separate showrooms / corners - but it will be sold via BMW dealerships, so the marketing costs will be lower.

BUT ...

The marketing machine behind the iSetta will be completely different. Much more MINI like. Dealing with the iconic brand / car of a cult status. Therefore Isetta will be promoted as a statement & way of lifestyle. Just like MINI is.

The fact is the isetta will be revived - now decided with BMW badge on the hood. Eitherway the legend is back!

Now Chris can come back ...

I think its BMW by isetta