For four years BMW has teased and taunted us with spy pictures and little tidbits of info about its upcoming electric car program. Finally though the full details andproduction of the BMW i3 have arrived, and it’s everything I was hoping for, and I’m not alone. Already over 8,000 orders for the BMW i3 have poured in, though production delays could hamper next month’s rollout.
BMW had only anticipated sales of 10,000 units for all of 2014, though executives are rightly considering an increase in production, The BMW i3 launches next month in Germany for 34,950 euros, or about $47,399. In America the BMW i3 will launch at $42,275 including destination fee, though the optional range extender will push the price past $46,000. BMW will also sell the i3 in the Chinese and Japanese markets.
A combination of rear-wheel drive and BMW’s emphasis on sportiness could make the i3 a fun and affordable EV, while the optional range extender offers up to 200 miles of driving per charge, while ensuring the i3 is never truly out of juice.
Meanwhile though, BMW has had to sort through a 10-day work stoppage due to a bonding issue with some of the lightweight composite materials the i3 makes extensive use of. Once they can get that all sorted though, the BMW i3 sounds like it could be a breakout EV hit from an unexpected source.
Source: The Truth About Cars
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment