According to a report by kfz-betrieb, the BMW i3 aren’t as strong in Germany as they are in the US. After nine months of sales, dealers have sold just half of the vehicles they were told to move. Dealers have been able to sell 1900 units since the beginning of the year, a third of which were the i3 REx.The German outlet says that the goal for the year is 5000 to 6000 units. In September, BMW German dealers sold 131 i3 models.
BMW is blaming long shipping times of up to six months for the weak sales. “Dealers say they could sell more cars than allocated,” BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer recently claimed.
But BMW is taking a proactive approach and aims to jumpstart sales through new financial incentives.The company is offering prospective German customers an i3 for €555, close to $700 a month. That price includes a full collision waiver and 3333 kilometer (2071 miles) allotment. After the lease end, if the customer chooses to buy the car, the original fees are refunded. The approach is different from the monthly incentives (“trunk money”) offered by automakers in the US.
With 1,159 sales of the BMW i3 and 204 of the i8, BMW set a new sales record in the U.S. in a single month – 1,363.
Worldwide sales of the BMW i3 have shot to over 10,000 units, including more than 3,100 in the U.S.
