BMW boss Norbert Reithofer has said that the “BMW i3 will cost less than the 5 Series”. That’s a very short but significant statement which indicates we could see a future BMW i3 price of less than 40,000 euros.

The i3 is expected to be available on the European market in 2012 and if the business plan sticks to this latest report, the Opel Ampera could suddenly find itself with a significant electric rival, if a different kind of car. The Ampera costs just over 40,000 euros.

The BMW i8 is set to be the flagship, supercar model so we’re thinking the price tag will match, but it’s hard to see how BMW might achieve that kind of economy on the i3 given its extensive use of carbonfibre. It seems the company is hoping that new production processes and its agreement with SGL Carbon will keep costs down to make the i3 one of the most desirable citycar options (not to mention its electric drivetrain) on the market.

Source | Auto Motor und Sport

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