BMW has increased production of the i3 electric vehicle 43 percent as demand has exceeded its initial expectations. The German luxury car manufacturer has raised daily output at its Leipzig plant from 70 vehicles to 100 vehicles in recent weeks, according to BMW production chief Harald Krueger.
The executive added that BMW has already built more than 5,000 i3s this year. If BMW maintains this production rate, it could build about 20,000 vehicles during the entire year, almost twice as much as its initial sales forecast.
“Following the market introduction in Europe, we’re now rolling out the i3 in the U.S. The U.S. will be the largest market for the i3,” Krueger told Bloomberg.
The standard BMW i3 is priced from $41,350 in the United States, before any federal or state incentives, plus $925 for destination and handling, with the range extender model starting from $45,200. In Germany, the i3 starts from €34,950 for the all-electric variant, while the Range Extender option bumps up the price to €39,450.
BMW began producing the i3 last November and will start deliveries of the i8 hybrid sports car in June. Both BMW i vehicles have a carbon fiber chassis for a reduced weight and improved fuel efficiency. BMW said in February that it is building a second production hall at a plant it operates with SGL Carbon to boost assembly of the material.
By Dan Mihalascu
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