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The small, city-bred hatchback - which will get its official name later this month - may be leased out on a short-term basis, says a BMW spokesman.
Speaking at the BMW 6-Series launch in Cape Town this week, he suggested the MegaCity could be leased under a car-share arrangement, where successive owners could pay a monthly fee to BMW.
The reason is the expected high cost of the car - the same problem that faces all developers of new technology. Mitsubishi in Australia, for example, leases the i-MiEV because its estimated purchase cost would be about $70,000 - considered difficult to sell outright.
Officially, BMW sales director Ian Robertson has previously said the car wasn't to be sold, rather 'rented' to users on a concept similar to Smart's "Car2Go" system.
Mr Robertson is on record as saying: "More and more people in large cities are looking for an alternative to the ownership of a vehicle. Car-sharing concepts are considered one way to keep these people mobile and avoid the restrictions associated with car ownership."
BMW will trial its lease concept with the 1-Series Active-E all-electric car in the US and Germany later this year. Meanwhile, the MegaCity - likely to adopt to "i" prefix and hinted at "i2" - is on track for a 2013 launch following a 2012 showing at the London Olympic Games.
MegaCity is almost entirely made of carbon fibre which BMW says will save up to 350kg compared with a similar hatchback body.
BMW has also claimed the car as being the world's first high-volume car using carbon-fibre material.
It will be built as a body-on frame. The frame is an aluminium-framed platform that integrates the electric motor, drivetrain, suspension, steering and battery pack.
BMW calls this LifeDrive - Life being the choice of body styles and Drive being the powertrain within the skateboard chassis - with some technology shared with the electric Mini.
The separate, colour-impregnated body could be a four-seat hatchback, two-seat coupe or a commercial van or ute.
BMW says the design will save weight reduction which will enhance the electric motor's performance and extend the battery' range.
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