Planning on a new BMW i3? Don’t recycle those walking shoes or that bicycle just yet. Buyers of BMW’s new carbon-fiber electric car may be looking at up to a six-month wait for delivery.
European BMW dealers who have been selling the i3 since November 2013 have been surprised by the demand. One dealer in Hamburg, Germany reports that they have sold 30 cars already and their three test-drive i3s are booked solid.
According to Ian Robertson, BMW’s chief of sales and marketing, the company already has 11,000 orders worldwide for the i3, and that 80 percent of the orders have come from people who have never owned a BMW or never owned a car at all. To offer a car that brings that many buyers to the marque for the first time borders on magical.
Approximately 1200 i3’s are already allocated for the United States, with deliveries to customers expected to start in May 2014. However, the first cars are promised to the electronauts—drivers whose leases have recently expired on the 1 Series ActiveE cars in BMW’s proof-of-concept program for small family electric cars. Since the electronauts were not allowed to keep or buy out their leases, they are being given priority to acquire new i3s. About 700 electronauts participated in the pilot program. There are no indications yet how many of those will be moving into an i3.
Owners of the BMW i3 can take satisfaction not only in the “green-ness” of their car, but also in its manufacturing. The carbon fiber is produced in a plant in Washington State using hydropower; the cars are assembled entirely using renewable energy in BMW’s Leipzig, Germany plant, and all the materials in the car are completely recyclable.
Base price on the BMW i3 is $41,350. The i3 with Range Extender starts at $45,200.—Scott Blazey
BMW has also released information on leasing and financing. Click here to learn more.
