The BMW i3 and i8 could soon be joined by another electric or hybrid car, according to the manufacturer’s new CEO.
Harald Krueger, who took over the role as BMW’s head in May, told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagzeitung: “There is space if you look at it from the number point of view.”
It’s believed that Kruger was alluding to a possible i5, an electric model based on the existing 5 Series and sitting between the i3 urban electric car and the i8 hybrid sports car.
BMW’s i-electric range has been met with an incredibly positive response from buyers, with global sales for both the i3 and i8 surging to nearly 13,000 models as of the start of January this year.
Since their launch, both BMW i-electric models have together sold 30,661 units as of last month, with the i8 accounting for 2,715 sales in the first half of this year, despite short supply.
The marque’s Leipzig factory, where the i8 is manufactured, has specifically had to restrict output due to high demand, with waiting lists stretching back well into next year.
Magnitude Finance, which provides finance deals for high-performance supercars, reported last year that buyers are even paying premiums of up to 50 per cent on the i8’s list price to get one.
Tim Marlow, the company’s director, said that buyers with deep enough pockets have even taken to making offers to i8 owners who have already taken delivery, offering up to £45,000 in profit.
From BMW’s point of view then, the numbers certainly add up. The company hasn’t yet officially announced anything, but it’s expected that the next i-electric model could debut by 2019.
