The wait for a BMW i8 is about a year, said Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America to Automotive News. But to reduce the wait times, the company is increasing production in 2015. This year, the U.S. market will get over 1,000 i8 cars, an increase of 50 percent over previous year.
Willisch says the i8 has become a halo car drawing customers to the brand. “It is a brand shaper,” because the two-door carbon-fiber sports car “stands for all of the technology BMW has to offer — and has 72 mpg mileage.”
Last year, BMW sold 6,092 i3s and 555 i8s here. The i3 went on sale last spring, and i8 sales began in August.
BMW has said it will make fewer of the smaller i3 electric vehicles this year so that it can increase i8 production.
BMW sells the i8 with a base price of $137,450, but many dealerships are still marking up the car.
