The company that claims to build the ultimate driving machines wants to build the ultimate green machines and is launching a brand dedicated specifically to cars with cords.

BMW announced the “i” — yep, just like Apple — brand today, promising to deliver an electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid by 2013 while also branching out into “mobility services.” The company promised to offer a “seamless network” of services, including intelligent navigation, vehicle connectivity and even parking solutions.

“The products and services have been conceived around a revolutionary approach: purpose designed and purpose built for sustainable, premium mobility,” company board member Ian Robertson, who is responsible for sales and marketing, said in a statement. “It’s a new day in our industry; a new era for individual mobility. This is BMW i – Born Electric.”

The i brand was born of Project i, a team BMW created three years ago to explore the future of transportation. It is the centerpiece of the company campaign to develop alternative drivetrains and eco-friendlier cars.

The i3, left, is an all-electric city car. The i8 is a high-performance plug-in hybrid.

As the Financial Times notes, “mobility” is the hot buzzword in the auto industry as automakers scramble to develop cleaner, greener vehicles. In addition to developing electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, many automakers hope to capitalize on new technology like batteries and vehicle charging infrastructure.

To that end, BMW also is launching the i Venture venture capital division and bankrolling it to the tune of $100 million. General Motors, for example, has done the same thing, investing in battery technology firms, EV startups and other companies through General Motors Ventures. To offer another example, both Daimler and Toyota have invested tens of millions of dollars in Tesla Motors.

BMW has been experimenting with electric vehicles, rolling out the Mini E and, more recently, the Concept Active E electric 1-Series. Both vehicles are being leased in limited numbers in what amounts to a real-world R&D program.

The i8 will be based on the wild Vision Efficient Dynamics concept unveiled last year.

But the automaker will offer two vehicles through the i brand — the BMW i3 and the BMW i8. The i3, previously known as the Megacity Vehicle, will be an all-electric city car. The i8 is based on the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept car, which is essentially a plug-in hybrid M6.

BMW didn’t offer any specs for the vehicles but said both will use “LifeDrive” architecture, “a revolutionary construction concept.” The cars will ride on an aluminum chassis with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic safety cells. BMW says using those materials offsets the high weight of the vehicle.

“For our customers this means superior driving dynamics combined with significantly increased range using electric power,” board member Klaus Draeger, who oversees vehicle development, said in a statement.

According to the Wall Street Journal, SB LiMotive, a joint venture between Samsung SDI and Robert Bosch GmbH, will supply the batteries.

BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk told Auto Express the i cars will feature styling touches that will distinguish them from other models, including a blue-rimmed version of the trademark kidney grille, large but narrow wheels for better aerodynamics and sleeker C-pillars.

Both cars will be built at BMW’s factory in Leipzig, Germany; BMW will invest €400 ($546 million) in the operation. The company says the two vehicles will use essentially the same components — motors, electronics and batteries — to keep costs down.

BMW’s venture capital arm has made it’s first investment, plowing an undisclosed sum into New York-based My City Way. It’s a smartphone app that provides info on public transit, parking availability and local entertainment in more than 40 cities.

Photos: BMW

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