BMW is all set to unveil the production version of its electric car, the i3, on July 29. Two year back, the German luxury carmaker had displayed this vehicle as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It will be the company's first mass production electric car. The official auto show debut of the vehicle will take place at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in September followed by a later launch in the market.
The vehicle to be unveiled this July, is completely different from that of the first concept showcased couple of years back. It now gets a revised bumpers, shorter rear doors, new lighting on the front and rear. The BMW i3 electric car is powered by a rear-mounted electric motor that produces 170bhp and 244Nm of top torque. On a full single battery charge, i3 can run between 128 and 160km, and it will also come with an optional range extending twin-cylinder gasoline motor, which will increase this figure to around 300km. Moreover, the i3 will also come with 3 drive settings- the Comfort mode, Eco Pro mode and the Eco Pro+ mode. The sportiness and comfort of the BMW i3 concept coupe can be best experienced in the standard Comfort setting.
Before its actual introduction in Europe, over 100,000 requests are already registered for its first drive. It is expected to be priced around 29,000 euros (approximately Rs. 22.50 Lakh) in Germany, and will be put on sale by the last quarter of this year. For India, it is quite early to comment whether it will come or not, as the current hybrids and electric cars in India are still not selling in decent volumes.
Source : CarDekho - BMW cars - BMW i3 electric car to be unveiled on July 29
