According to a recent report, BMW has filed a host of new trademark registrations.
First and foremost, BMW registered i1, i2, i3, i4, i5, i6, i7, i8, i9 and E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9. The company also applied for M 50 d, Urbanic, Gran Coupe, Compactive, and Compactive Tourer.
While details are limited, BMWBlog is reporting an inside source has told them the M 50 d is a tri-turbo diesel, the Urbanic is a Mega City trim level (or something similar), the Gran Coupe may be a four-door coupe 6-Series, and the Compactive / Compactive Tourer are sporty crossovers based on the 1- / 3-Series. The source also said the i's are for the Project-i sub brand and the E's are for BMW's eDrive models.
Regardless, BMW may never use the names. By simply registering them, they serve as placeholders (in case BMW decides to add new models in the future), legal buffers (to prevent competitors from trying to use a similar naming structure), and distractions (if competitors don't know which ones will be used, they have to make assumptions).
