[cc3]

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A lot of competition coming into a small marketplace so I wonder how long before BMW has to reduce the price of the i3 like Nissan has with the Leaf. VW saying they will price the E Golf below the i3. Let battle commence and prices seem to be going only one way - down?

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...t-drive-review

[SCOTT26]

Originally Posted by gaz26

A lot of competition coming into a small marketplace so I wonder how long before BMW has to reduce the price of the i3 like Nissan has with the Leaf. VW saying they will price the E Golf below the i3. Let battle commence and prices seem to be going only one way - down?

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...t-drive-review

Considering the amount of pre-orders already in the system for customers (increased over the initial figure of 8,000).
European test drives are now commencing with over 100,000 registered to test drive the i3. Plus if you order an i3 now , you won't take delivery until the Late Spring of 2014.

And of course you have the uniqueness and the unconventional aspects of the i3 it self. For Electric mobility to be a success it has to be different , it has to break boundaries but always overlooked i3 is an urban car it is not meant for trans-continental travel.

The Golf et all are Electrified existing cars , customers have a choice and that choice will in Europe at least diesel.
The i3 does not give the conventional choice and that is why it will be successful , potential i3 owners I have spoke to range from existing BMW customers who will use i3 as intended for urban commutes , customers who will use the i3 as a secondary car. And what really pleases me is new customers that are attracted by the design and are willing to live with an electric car.

The i3 has appeal because there is nothing else like it.
An electric Golf is still a Golf. Reliable , dependable , competent and boring.

The i3 comes at a very exciting time too.
I have visited places in Europe where charging stations were lacking in specific metro areas earlier this year. I have recently returned and the expansion of infrastructure is perfect for the arrival of the i3.
I was in the UK where one area had around three charging stations. There is now 33.

Electric cars can work if the infrastructure is available. Part of the BMWi investment was partnering with companies to build this infrastructure and make it accessible and easy for potential customers.

[Tallest]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

Considering the amount of pre-orders already in the system for customers (increased over the initial figure of 8,000).
European test drives are now commencing with over 100,000 registered to test drive the i3. Plus if you order an i3 now , you won't take delivery until the Late Spring of 2014.

And of course you have the uniqueness and the unconventional aspects of the i3 it self. For Electric mobility to be a success it has to be different , it has to break boundaries but always overlooked i3 is an urban car it is not meant for trans-continental travel.

The Golf et all are Electrified existing cars , customers have a choice and that choice will in Europe at least diesel.
The i3 does not give the conventional choice and that is why it will be successful , potential i3 owners I have spoke to range from existing BMW customers who will use i3 as intended for urban commutes , customers who will use the i3 as a secondary car. And what really pleases me is new customers that are attracted by the design and are willing to live with an electric car.

The i3 has appeal because there is nothing else like it.
An electric Golf is still a Golf. Reliable , dependable , competent and boring.

The i3 comes at a very exciting time too.
I have visited places in Europe where charging stations were lacking in specific metro areas earlier this year. I have recently returned and the expansion of infrastructure is perfect for the arrival of the i3.
I was in the UK where one area had around three charging stations. There is now 33.

Electric cars can work if the infrastructure is available. Part of the BMWi investment was partnering with companies to build this infrastructure and make it accessible and easy for potential customers.

INdeed. In my country (Estonia) we have a network of charging stations that fully covers the whole territory. In other words I in theory should be able to get around the country at least in my electric car. I would still get the range extender engine but nonetheless, the car itself is super appealing and I actually find the design quite cool. SO id seriously consider it. Before I got my coupe, my justification for high gas milage was "i drive so little I dont care" - i work 5 min away by car from where I live for example. Now my justification could be "i can get an electric car because ANY range is good enough". So my chocie becomes not a convinience but style, looks etc. And the i3 can out run many cars on traffic lights so it aint slow either. PLus looks futuristic.

Oh and we have an electric car subsidity running at the moment where 50% of the cars price is covered by a green EU scheme - up to 18k Euros. So no Tesla for me, but at 40k EUR im paying 22k only. Which is what, 300 EUR per month with no gas costs. I think its a pretty affordable car this way!

[cc3]

Originally Posted by Malbolge

INdeed. In my country (Estonia) we have a network of charging stations that fully covers the whole territory. In other words I in theory should be able to get around the country at least in my electric car. I would still get the range extender engine but nonetheless, the car itself is super appealing and I actually find the design quite cool. SO id seriously consider it. Before I got my coupe, my justification for high gas milage was "i drive so little I dont care" - i work 5 min away by car from where I live for example. Now my justification could be "i can get an electric car because ANY range is good enough". So my chocie becomes not a convinience but style, looks etc. And the i3 can out run many cars on traffic lights so it aint slow either. PLus looks futuristic.

Oh and we have an electric car subsidity running at the moment where 50% of the cars price is covered by a green EU scheme - up to 18k Euros. So no Tesla for me, but at 40k EUR im paying 22k only. Which is what, 300 EUR per month with no gas costs. I think its a pretty affordable car this way!

Scott you can tell you are in Marketing!! Nice spin

Customer deliveries don't start till late Jan so no surprise if you order now you won't get one till Spring. Also understandably production per day is very low to start with

It won't take long before BMW has to incentivise customers into buying the car once the initial easy low fruit has been picked. These are all easy converts to start with. BMW does this with every launch as an example big discounts currently on 1 and. 3 series. Even bigger discounts of Z4 and 6 series! BMW looks more and more like Ford every day with how it is hooked on selling volume. It must beat Audi and Mercedes every month so brings in more and more incentives to keep up volume!

Governments want to reduce funding green subsidies as quickly as possible. In the UK they have already said they will be phased out so that will put more pressure on manufacturers.

The i3 is an expensive city car. I hope BMW succeed otherwise it will drag down the rest of the company given the size of the investment.

But the price of electric cars are going one way and that's downwards. Wait a year unless you must have the next new thing on the block.

[cblandin]

Originally Posted by gaz26

A lot of competition coming into a small marketplace so I wonder how long before BMW has to reduce the price of the i3 like Nissan has with the Leaf. VW saying they will price the E Golf below the i3. Let battle commence and prices seem to be going only one way - down?

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...t-drive-review

The i3 is hardly a true performance car, but it's 7.0 sec 0-60 (w/o Rex) is a far cry from the e-Golf's 10.4 second time! I know they both have decent 0-30 times, but that's true for almost all electrics. In short, just as a Golf and a 3 series are both gas powered cars, their similarities may end there. I look forward to the day when every "electric" car isn't compared simply because of the presence of a similar drivetrain.