# Does BMW's i3 Present 'Big Problem' for Other EV Makers?



## EVDL Archive (Jul 26, 2007)

Katie Spence thinks the relatively competitive pricing of BMW's i3 electric car is going to present a challenge not just to Chevrolet's Volt, but possibly even Tesla's Model S.

More...


----------



## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

Stupid comparison. The Tesla Model S is literally twice the car the BMW is. It actually looks smaller than my Yaris.


----------



## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Yes, but at a similar price to Volt and Leaf it would kill them. And Tesla buyers are used to driving BMWs...


----------



## Jason Lattimer (Dec 27, 2008)

I'm afraid I don't agree. You are assuming that Tesla and BMW buyers will look only at price and not at the rest of the car. I for one would choose the Tesla because it has 3 times the range is twice as fast and looks like an Austin Martin.


----------



## Ampster (Oct 6, 2012)

Jason Lattimer said:


> I'm afraid I don't agree. You are assuming that Tesla and BMW buyers will look only at price and not at the rest of the car. I for one would choose the Tesla because it has 3 times the range is twice as fast and looks like an Austin Martin.


I agree with your disagreement. The i3 may be a threat to the future Tesla GenX sedan in a few years when the GenX comes out. However Tesla is way ahead of BMW in terms of battery technology so we will see what happens in a few years. I don't think the i3 will take much business from the Model S There is a similar debate going on on the Tesla Motors Club, and the joke there is that BMW's response to the Tesla Super Chargers is to make their ICE SUV's available for short term rental for i3 owners who want to take a longer drive. Pricing has not been announced. LOL


----------



## dreamer (Feb 28, 2009)

Ziggythewiz said:


> Yes, but at a similar price to Volt and Leaf it would kill them. And Tesla buyers are used to driving BMWs...


I'd choose the Volt over the I3 any day of the week. 40 mi is more than my daily needs and it has an unlimited range for trips. The 100 mi range of the I3 doesn't help me on a daily basis, and is useless for trips. The Tesla S is in a whole different class -- bigger, quicker, trip range and supercharger network -- but the cost is a different class as well.


----------



## Ellrot (May 17, 2010)

I don't understand why people are using the word "threat" The i3 isn't that cheap, and it's not groundbreaking, it's just another model. The only way I can see a big drop in prices for EV's and Hybrids is a saturation of the market, new energy storage tech and/or improvements


----------

