BMW Canada prices forthcoming i3

Well in advance of the car's arrival, BMW Group Canada has announced a base price of $44,950 for the forthcoming BMW i3 – the company’s first series-production all-electric vehicle (EV).

Concept versions of the i3 have been making auto-show appearances for the past couple years. The production version will have its international premiere on July 29 at parallel events on three continents, in London, New York and Beijing.

The production i3 will become available in Canada during the first half of 2014, the company says.

BMW has established a separate division – BMW i – geared to address the issue of sustainability across the entire value chain.

The i3, the company says, is the world’s first premium car designed from the ground up to be powered by an electric drive system with revolutionary lightweight construction (although Tesla might take issue with that claim).

BMW says it has adopted a holistic approach to ensure that customers will be able to meet their mobility needs with the pure electric BMW i3 – even beyond a range of 150 kilometres.

To achieve that objective, BMW i will support customers with a four-pillar approach of premium services:

Home charging: Quick and convenient charging will be possible either at a home charging station offered by BMW i or at any public charging station that uses a Level 2 SAE J1772 charging system.

DC fast charging, using an SAE DC Combo-Fast Charger, will be available as an option. From a public fast-charging station, it will provide an 80% charge from a fully depleted battery in just 20 minutes.

Public charging: The BMW Group will have partnerships with public charging providers in all countries where BMW i models are introduced. The company is working towards charging standardization and is involved in setting up a comprehensive network of charging stations.

Flexible mobility: The BMW Group will create a whole new mobile lifestyle built around a range of mobility services – such as the car-sharing initiative, DriveNow, which has over 130,000 members. Customers will also have access to rental cars with combustion engines for longer trips.

Assistance Services: Customers will be able to utilize services such as ConnectedDrive apps and future roadside services such as mobile recharging equipment.

BMW i3 customers will also have the choice of a range of packages for financing, leasing, insurance, vehicle services and innovative mobility services, which will be tailored to suit the BMW i3.

BMW i3 products and services will be sold via a multi-channel sales model, comprised of authorized BMW i partners, a Customer Interaction Center (CIC) and an online platform.

All sales channels will be fully networked and customers will be able to personalize their entire purchasing process to suit their needs.