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BMW Boosts EV Production Ahead of U.S. Launch
BMW AG has hiked output of its new i3 electric city car more than 40% to prepare for the car's introduction in the U.S.
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BMW AG has hiked output of its new i3 electric city car more than 40% to prepare for the car's introduction in the U.S. America is expected to be its largest market.
BMW began making the i3 at its factory in Leipzig, Germany, in November. It has been assembling the plastic-bodied cars at a rate of 70 per day for the European market. But the company tells Bloomberg News it has now boosted daily output to 100 units.
The company has built about 5,000 i3 cars this year. At the new production rate, it will make about 20,000 vehicles in 2014 about twice the original sales target for the first full year of output.
The i3 is likely to retail for about $41,400 in the U.S. when it goes on sale in May. The company said in January it expects to sell a few thousand of the EVs there this year.
The car can travel about 100 miles (160 km) per charge. Its range can be approximately doubled when the car is equipped with an optional range-extending generator powered by a 2-cylinder gasoline engine.
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