Carsales Staff•23 Jul 2013
NEWS
BMW i3 to sell online in UK
But Brits will pay nearly twice the monthly cost of a Nissan LEAF to lease Munich's new EVBritish industry journal AM reports that BMW's i3 electric vehicle will be available to purchase through authorised dealers, a Customer Interaction Centre or via a dedicated sales website.
It's a first for the prestige brand, in more ways than one. The i3 is Munich's inaugural mass-market electric vehicle and is officially going on sale in the UK from November this year at £25,680. That includes a government subsidy worth £5000. The price of the car in Germany is €34,950.
“The BMW i3 heralds the dawn of a new era for individual mobility and for the BMW Group,” AM quoted BMW spokesman Ian Robertson as saying.
“True to a genuine BMW, the BMW i3 has strong emotional appeal, outstanding product substance and a guarantee of sheer driving pleasure. With this leading-edge vehicle and compelling price, we will provide customers with an attractive offer for electromobility,” added Robertson, a member of BMW's board of management, sales and marketing.
BMW's decision to sell the i3 through a multi-channel sales system is also ground-breaking for the company. In Australia Subaru opted for an online platform to take orders and sell its BRZ, but other companies have been slow to follow in its footsteps. In the UK, i3 buyers can order and pay for the car online, tailoring the buying process to suit their individual needs, but must call into a dealership to accept delivery of the new car.
For an up-front payment of £2999 i3 buyers can also lease the car, although the monthly payment of £369 is nearly double the figure of £189 Nissan charges to lease its LEAF EV.
In Britain, BMW will offer the i3 with a 32 Amp AC/Mains Fast Charging system that will top up the battery pack to 80 per cent within three hours, and the company is also offering buyers a 'Wallbox' for installation at home. The Wallbox will be supported by green energy options. Charging the i3 via a standard domestic power outlet will take between eight and 10 hours, BMW claims. As a third option, buyers will be able to recharge the car's batteries to 80 per cent within an hour, through a 50kW DC Fast Charging system located in public areas.
BMW plans a range-extended version of the i3, with a 650cc two-cylinder petrol engine maintaining battery charge and providing a range of up to 180 miles (290km) for each tank of fuel. Pricing for this variant is yet to be announced. A global launch for the i3 is scheduled for July 29 and will be conducted in a staggered sequence of events in New York, London and Beijing. It's expected further information concerning the range-extended i3 will come to light then. As we reported yesterday, the i3 won't arrive in Australia until about a year after the car's global launch.
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Written byCarsales Staff
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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