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BMW AG is showing off the production model of its new i3 electric compact that uses carbon-fiber materials to keep the weight down and improve driving performance.
CEO Norbert Reithofer stressed at a New York unveiling that the car was designed as an electric from the ground up. The i3 is "born electric," he said.
The company says the i3, built in Leipzig, Germany, will go from zero to 100 kph in 7.2 seconds.
Its range is billed as 130-160 kilometers.
Models with an optional range extender gas engine can go as far as 300 kilometers.
The car goes on sale in November in Germany and other European markets starting at 34,950 euros ($46,000) and reaches the US, Japan and China next year.
