BMW USA has announced the full pricing breakdown of the brand’s most anticipated new model, the i8 sports car. The company previously announced a base price of $135,700 (£79,000; €99,000). Destination and Handling is an additional $950 (£550; €695), for a grand total of $136,650 (£80,000; €100,000).
The blue roundel will offer the i8 in three “worlds,” which are trim levels above the base model. Similar to i3 lines, the names of these packages are “Giga World,” “Tera World,” and “Pure Impulse World.” If BMW believes it is being cool by being strange, BMW is mistaken.
The worlds each include a headlight upgrade to BMW’s cornering, LED units, and primarily alter trim. Whether selecting the base model or one of these packages, customers can select 20” W spoke wheels or 20” turbine wheels at no cost. The cheapest trim is the $2000 (£1165; €1465) Giga World. It offers a perforated leather interior in white or black.
The next level up is the $3000 (£1750; €2200) Tera World. It features blue seatbelts and offers a brown leather and cloth interior.
Finally, for the grandest experience possible, there is the $10,800 (£6290; €7900) Pure Impulse World. What do you get for that $7800 (£4545; €5710) premium? The same blue seatbelts, a spice gray leather interior, and an anthracite headliner. That’s right – BMW is charging almost $8000 (£4660; €5860) for essentially an anthracite roof. That is the craziest thing about this pricing strategy (besides the names, of course). Fitted with Pure Impulse World, a white i8 can reach its price ceiling of $149,250 (£86,970; €109,290).
The only standalone option is to have the car with Crystal White Pearl Metallic paint, which costs $1800 (£1050; €1320). All other paint choices (a whopping three – silver, gray, blue) are no-cost options. The i8 also features a tremendous amount of standard equipment. Heated, electric seats; auto dimming mirrors; Park Distance Control; ambient lighting; Active Driving Assistant; a Harmon/Kardon stereo; a concierge service; and the full suite of BMW apps. All of these are standard, which means that for some, spending the base $136,650 (£80,000; €100,000) will be enough.
The BMW i8 may be a complex plug-in hybrid, but it is also a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S competitor. Though the 911 starts at $105,630 (£61,550; €77,350), the as-tested price can spin out of control when fitted with all of the i8’s standard equipment. With the i8, BMW has taken the technology to outer space while bringing prices back to Earth.
It’s not cheap. But it’s also not priced like a Porsche.
By Nico Grant
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