Lease a zero-emissions BMW ActiveE for $499

BMW’s marvelous new zero-emissions ActiveE will make its North American debut at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) this week. Based on the 1 series coupe, the electric Bavarian automobile will be available for lease later this year in select U.S. cities, for a monthly payment of $499, after a down payment of $2250.

Only 700 of these revolutionary road machines will be available in the U.S. for 24-month leases.

"The BMW ActiveE is part of our ongoing strategy to develop environmentally friendly, yet high-performance vehicles," said Rich Steinberg, manager of Electric Vehicle Operations and Strategy, BMW NA. "It brings us another step closer to the realization of the BMW i3, which we will launch in 2013."

The ActiveE is the first zero-emissions, electric vehicle alleged to deliver the driving dynamic of the manufacturer’s virtually legendary automobiles. It will achieve 0 to 60 times less than nine seconds and otherwise handle like any other BMW coupe.

In the ActiveE, BMW’s new lithium-ion batteries make their premiere and feature liquid heating and cooling, plus a pre-conditioning ability during grid connection enabling the maximum range in spite of ambient conditions.

Is an ActiveE right for you? To find out a new app called BMW Evolve is now available for download from iTunes and later in the Android Marketplace. It was developed with feedback from MINI E drivers and will watch your daily driving habits to determine if a full-electric vehicle like the BMW ActiveE will fit your lifestyle.

For more information on other electric vehicles coming from BMW, click here.