UK dealers set to lead BMW electric sales

Over a third of BMW’s UK’s dealer network have signed up to sell the brand’s all-new electric i3 range.

The car, which is available as both a plug-in and with a petrol engine range extender, was unveiled yesterday ahead of dealer order books opening in August. Forty-six dealers have registered to sell the i-range with deliveries will start in November.

The UK is expected to be one of the leading global markets for the range.

Dealers have been chosen not only because of their location in major urban areas, where the battery-electric car makes most sense, but also because of their ability to repair its carbonfibre and aluminium passenger cell and to work on its high-voltage powertrain.

London is  expected to be a major market for the car.

“It is the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan area in Europe and typifies the urban mobility challenges of the future,” said Tim Abbott, the head of the BMW Group in the UK.

The i3 will be available from £369 a month plus a deposit of just under £3,000 from November – or it can be bought for £25,680 after the government’s £5,000 ultra low emissions vehicle grant.

BMW insists it is not supporting the i3 with incentives to get the car established in the market.

“It will make money from Day One,” said board member for sales and marketing director Ian Robertson.