BMW India had to be satisfied on the 3rd position in the race of sales in the luxury segment, with Mercedes securing the numero uno position, and Audi, 2nd. BMW India had recently launched the 1 Series hatchback to attract the premium hatchback buyers, which earlier had the option of Volvo V40 and the Mercedes A class.
Now, BMW India Group President, Mr. Philipp von Sahr has stated that the company is considering their electric car range, which comprises of BMW i3 and BMW i8, for the Indian market. BMW already sells the BMW i3 in the European market at a price tag of 35,000 Euros. BMW i8 will be making its world debut in 2014.
“We have some exciting plans for the Indian market. Our electric cars are perfectly suitable for mega cities like Delhi and Mumbai that are grappling with problems of of pollution and congestion. We are closely scrutinizing the possibility of introducing these environment friendly i3 and i8 models to the Indian customers,” Sahr said.
The BMW i3 is a pure electric car which uses lithium-ion battery and offers a driving range of 130-160 km, with an acceleration of 0-100 kmph in 7.2 seconds.
The BMW i8 is a hybrid supercar, having an 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol engine producing 231 HP of max power and 320 Nm of torque. Power will be sent to the rear wheels. The front axle will be powered by an electric motor, which produces 131 HP and 250 Nm of torque, resulting in a combined output of 362 HP and 570 Nm of torque.
We hope BMW introduces these fun-to-drive electric cars in India next year.