over 2000 i3 delivered globally in March 2015

[psquare]

Sales of the BMW i3 were higher than in any previous month, with a total of 2,067 delivered to customers,

http://www.bmwgroup.com/bmwgroup_prod/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_relations/corporate_news/news/2015/vertriebsmeldung_april_2015.html

 

[i3marc]

Sales of the BMW i3 were higher than in any previous month, with a total of 2,067 delivered to customers,

http://www.bmwgroup.com/bmwgroup_prod/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_relations/corporate_news/news/2015/vertriebsmeldung_april_2015.html

I think BMW nailed it. It has the road handling capabilities of the series 1 with the interior of a series 3 and the upscale quality of a series 5.

And a very modular battery pack easy to swap and small enough to not be too costly.

It seems Lotus' philosophy of ultralightweight/efficient lives!

 

[drb]

i3Marc, you hit the nail right on the head. I am, however, a little concerned that BMW only sold a bit more than 400 i3s in the U.S. in April. Have not yet heard a solid argument as to why this is the case. Let us see the May numbers before reaching for a conclusion.

 

[WoodlandHills]

25k cars a year has got to be a disappointment to BMW after a year on the market. Now that the early adapters and EVs enthusiasts all have their i3s, it is time for the general public to step up and buy. If they don't, BMW is going to have to do something to stimulate sales. Otherwise EVs from the major ICE makers will just be a niche product useful mostly for emission and fuel economy credits to offset their antiquated gas-guzzlers.

 

[jadnashuanh]

It was interesting to watch the engineering analysis done by the independent firm on the i3's construction. In an interview (liked previously), their assessment was that the method of assembly limited the viability of the design to about 50K/year. Anything higher, and a different technique would be more economical. The upcoming 7-series' use of CFRP is a more scalable method to building with that material. It was also very interesting in that video that the assessment of the overall cost to manufacturer the i3 put it in a very profitable stance, even with the current volume levels. Considering that the CFRP research is slowly being spread to apply to all of their product lines, it can get amortized across all models, and not specifically assigned to the i3 and i8. IOW, up to 50K/year, the way they are putting the i3 together makes the most sense cost wise...over that, the methods used in the new 7-series works out better. My guess is that whenever the new i5 shows up (probably around 2020), the construction method will probably not be the same as the i3, and lean more towards the 7-series methods since by then, it will likely have a bigger market.

The i3 is new and unique. BMW may not have done that great in educating the public about it, but then, at least at the beginning, they had a big backlog of orders, and pushing it probably didn't make a lot of sense. As more and more of them show up on the streets, word of mouth will help. THen, throw in the fact that some dealers haven't embraced it, that hurts, and, in the middle of nowhere, it really may not make a lot of sense (the reason why in Canada, they've so far limited where the car is sold - lots of open space, a city car just doesn't make a lot of sense in the middle of the great plains). If it fits your needs, it can work out great. It is not a car that fits everyone's needs, and then, it is not the least expensive option out there...maybe the better choice, but not the only one. In some places in the USA, they still like American vehicles, and with our relatively cheap fuel, pickup trucks or other gas guzzlers.

 

[Electron15]

i3Marc, you hit the nail right on the head. I am, however, a little concerned that BMW only sold a bit more than 400 i3s in the U.S. in April. Have not yet heard a solid argument as to why this is the case. Let us see the May numbers before reaching for a conclusion.

I tried to get mine from a BMW dealer 3/4 of a mile from my home, No dice. First they said they didn't have the color and level I wanted, I asked if I could order it and they said it would take 4-6 weeks, then they quoted me an outrageous lease price - $5,000.00 down with $799.00 per month. I wound up going to another dealer 120 miles away to get my car (for roughly half the cost of the original quote). Now call me crazy but most people are not willing (as I was) to travel 120 miles to get a car that gets between 80-100 miles of range.

If you ask me, the dealer I first went to was not educated enough to sell the i3 or just too lazy to take the time, even though I knew more about the car than the salesman.

I'm glad I went the distance - it was well worth it!

 

[Lei]

What dealership did you end up using? Is there a thread or folder with all the dealership kudos or don't gos?

 

[jadnashuanh]

There are certain models that the dealers don't universally stock or promote...the i3 is one, and the GT series is also one. Both niche markets, but a great car, IF it fits your needs. Dealerships do not spend a lot of money on training, or at least not all of them. Therefore, promotion and stock of any one type of vehicle can be spotty. It's kind of sad, but true. My thoughts, you can't sell them if you can't show them and you aren't likely to show them unless you know about them! Most dealers have a trade arrangement, and are both willing and able to trade with a nearby dealer. In that manner, I was able to get the car I wanted in less than a week, otherwise, ordering it would have taken months.

 

[Electron15]

What dealership did you end up using? Is there a thread or folder with all the dealership kudos or don't gos?

I ended up using Fields BMW in Winter Park Florida - I live in Palm Harbor Florida, and the first dealer i had gone to was Ferman BMW in Palm Harbor - The absolute worst 'buying' experience in 40 years.

Just to clarify, I first went online, entered information of what I was looking for and I was contacted by phone from a person I thought was at/from Ferman BMW, but wasn't (as I later found out). I made an appointment and when I showed up on time, but Ferman's staff had no clue, the salesman was useless and I never got to meet a manager.

Two days later I went online again, and this time I picked the dealership since they had the exact car i was looking for in their inventory. Within 20 minutes I was speaking with someone from the dealership, set everything up by phone (and a few emails) and two days later I had my car.

 

[stumbledotcom]

25k cars a year has got to be a disappointment to BMW after a year on the market.

Based on statements made by BMW execs in 2014, 25K a year would seem to be approaching the upper limit of the current production system. Availability of carbon fiber and the molds/presses to make the CFRP panels are the likely limitations. BMW announced plans to double capacity of the Moses Lake carbon fiber plant along with orders for more presses but the added capacity remains months if not years away. Meanwhile Munro, the firm that did the i3 teardown and cost analysis, believes BMW makes money on the i3 at current volumes. Seems BMW realized an all-electric city car wouldn't sell in numbers to justify standard methods so they re-invented the production process. See Autoline After Hours episode 284 (April 24).

http://www.autoline.tv/journal/?p=37295

 

[psquare]

The only electric car that sells at a higher scale at this point in time is Nissan's Leaf. Before I ordered my i3, I spoke to a local Nissan dealer and they threw one low price deal at me after another. Having driven the latest Leaf with all bells & whistles, I thought it was a good car, but to me it still felt like a previous generation of electric vehicle when compared to the (considerably more expensive) i3. On reflection, I thought that only the price would be a real incentive for me to pick a Leaf - and therefore didn't go for one.

The only way for BMW to drive sales would be to try and lower i3 prices, which is not in line with the luxury car image they are trying to convey. The other way to up sales volume is if governments around the world would offer more financial incentives and subsidies. In fact, a german BMW boss asked the german government for exactly that a few weeks ago.

We are still in early adopter stage - potentially coming to the end of it. To be honest, I'm happy that sales are increasing on an acceptable level, because otherwise there will be queues at the CCS chargers before you can say "reinforcedcarbonfibreplastic".

 

[psquare]

Having just posted that, the latest figures for April are not that great.

April saw 1,687 customers around the world take delivery of an innovative BMW i vehicle.

That's for i3 and i8 together.

http://www.bmwgroup.com/bmwgroup_prod/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_relations/corporate_news/news/2015/vertriebsmeldung_mai_2015.html

 

[jadnashuanh]

Having just posted that, the latest figures for April are not that great.

April saw 1,687 customers around the world take delivery of an innovative BMW i vehicle.

That's for i3 and i8 together.

http://www.bmwgroup.com/bmwgroup_prod/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_relations/corporate_news/news/2015/vertriebsmeldung_mai_2015.html

Many people in the USA that can afford either vehicle are dealing with paying their taxes...April is not a good month for most big ticket items IMHO! If you got a big return, you're doing things wrong!

 

[psquare]

Many people in the USA that can afford either vehicle are dealing with paying their taxes...April is not a good month for most big ticket items IMHO! If you got a big return, you're doing things wrong!

Fair point. In the UK -another key market- new registrations start in March and September, so most people will get their orders in for around that time, I'd guess.

 

[TomMoloughney]

25k cars a year has got to be a disappointment to BMW after a year on the market.

Based on statements made by BMW execs in 2014, 25K a year would seem to be approaching the upper limit of the current production system. Availability of carbon fiber and the molds/presses to make the CFRP panels are the likely limitations. BMW announced plans to double capacity of the Moses Lake carbon fiber plant along with orders for more presses but the added capacity remains months if not years away. Meanwhile Munro, the firm that did the i3 teardown and cost analysis, believes BMW makes money on the i3 at current volumes. Seems BMW realized an all-electric city car wouldn't sell in numbers to justify standard methods so they re-invented the production process. See Autoline After Hours episode 284 (April 24).

http://www.autoline.tv/journal/?p=37295

That's correct. BMW is very pleased with the global results of the first year i3 sales. I've talked with many top BMW i execs before and after the launch and these numbers are very encouraging. They basically sold as many as they could make. They have greater capacity now that initial production line issues have been worked out, so they can probably push production to the upper limit to close to 30K in the second year if the demand is there.

 

[nodomo]

BMW should publicize & advertise the 3-day extended test drives. It works. I wasn't even considering an i3 until we heard about the 3-day test drive and said why not give it a try. After the test drive, my wife and I were hooked! I know several people who also bought or leased an i3 after their 3-day test drive.

A lot of people also don't know about the federal & state incentives that can lower the price considerably. Before the test drive, I was thinking wow $45-$50k for a short range EV. After the test drive which led to more research, I discovered that the i3 would be much cheaper to own than a 3-series.

 

[psquare]

BMW i sales totalled 2,169 in May, with the brand achieving sales of 10,490 vehicles in the first five months of the year. The BMW i3 has been delivered to a total of 8,256 customers so far in 2015.

http://www.bmwgroup.com/bmwgroup_prod/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/investor_relations/corporate_news/news/2015/vertriebsmeldung_juni_2015.html