BMW finds a new, more timid buyer

BMW's foray into eco-cars has brought it into contact with customers who are not necessarily seeking the "ultimate driving machine".

BMW

IT may be seen by some as typical, self-regarding BMW driver behaviour, but the German marque has discovered that if its customers are going to buy an electric car, they want more than just - in BMW's own slogan - "the ultimate driving machine".

As it prepares to move into the electric vehicle market with its battery-only i3 four-seat hatchback, BMW has found it is going to have to mollycoddle its customers if they are to be persuaded to part with about $60,000 for one.

Ian Robertson, BMW's global sales and marketing director, admitted that potential buyers were demanding that the company hold their hands. "They want to know: 'Can I get a premium public charging point?'" he said. "'Will I be able to get a rapid charge? Do I have to use someone else's dirty [charging] cable? Will I be able to book a charging point between 9 o'clock and 11o'clock no hassle?'"

In the event of the electric car driver's greatest anxiety - running out of power mid-journey - BMW drivers expect the local BMW garage to be ready to come out and charge them up. "They want to know whether they can get [roadside] assistance, whether a vehicle can come out in an emergency," Mr Robertson said.

BMW's arrival into the electrified vehicle arena is belated, compared with rivals such as Toyota, Nissan and General Motors, and Mr Robertson admitted that BMW's traditional customers had not been clamouring for it. "The move to low-carbon is not a fashion, it is here to stay," he said, "but it is not necessarily being driven by the consumer. Rather, it is the legislative framework around the world that is driving down CO2 emissions [from vehicles]."

The i3 will be launched next year alongside the i8 hybrid supercar, whose turbo-charged engine will be made at the Mini plant in England.

Mr Robertson said the i3 would be priced "at a premium to what you see in the marketplace". He said that the i8 would be priced "well in excess of" $126,000. He declined to comment on new additions to the iSeries range of hybrid and electric vehicles; BMW is expected to launch a small sporty electric i4 and a plug-in i5 family saloon.