World’s first BMW i Store previews in London

London: Today, the BMW Group has previewed the world’s first BMW i Store in London. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of BMW AG, unveiled the new showroom on Park Lane, where a new version of the lightweight all-electric BMW i3 Concept car was shown for the first time, alongside the revolutionary plug-in hybrid sports car, the BMW i8. Both cars will be on display in the new facility from 25 July 2012.

Ian Robertson said: “BMW i Park Lane marks a completely new approach to the display and explanation of premium electric cars. Situated next to BMW Park Lane and MINI Park Lane, it gives people a perfect opportunity to learn more about electromobility and to take a close look at our future electric and plug-in hybrid BMW i vehicles. This is an important next step in bringing these revolutionary new vehicles to market, beginning with the i3 late next year.”

Designed to give potential new customers and the wider general public a better understanding of BMW i and the special services created around it before the cars are launched, BMW i Park Lane will become a retail outlet for the model range as the new models come to market. In addition to the established sales channels through authorised dealers, new customer contact points such as a mobile sales force and an online purchasing channel are being considered.

London was chosen as the venue for the first BMW i Store because of its importance as Europe’s only megacity and its influence as a global trend-setter. Like many other cities around the world, London faces environmental and traffic congestion challenges that require innovative and sustainable mobility solutions. BMW i aims to provide some of those solutions.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “Following hard on the heels of BMW’s decision to produce engines for their future i8 plug-in hybrid sports car at Hams Hall, the fact that they have chosen to locate the first ever BMW i Store in London is another vote of confidence in the UK. Our manufacturing base and capital city continue to attract inward investment and we are at the forefront of selling low-emission vehicles as well as demonstrating and manufacturing them.”

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “I want London to be a showcase for new technologies, not only to create jobs but to deliver improvements to quality of life. It is great news that BMW has decided to base its first ever i Store right here, confirming the capital’s status as a champion of electric vehicle use.”

The new BMW i3 Concept unveiled by Robertson today, has an entirely new interior featuring natural, renewable materials.  In the boot are mounted two BMW i Pedelec Concept bicycles representing the perfect extension of urban mobility. The compact bikes are fitted with an electric motor that tops up the rider’s muscle power with an extra dose of torque, which means the rider can get around faster and with less physical effort. The BMW i Pedelec Concept bicycles can be folded up quickly and the batteries recharged while in the boot of the BMW i3 Concept.

The BMW i3 will be BMW Group’s first all-electric series production vehicle, available to customers from late 2013, and the i8 will follow in 2014. These groundbreaking cars are engineered in a revolutionary way; featuring an innovative LifeDrive design that mixes lightweight carbon fibre reinforced plastic bodies and aluminium space-frame chassis with the latest in electric drivetrain technology.

The BMW i3 is powered by an electric motor mounted over the rear axle and which generates an output equivalent to 170hp and 250Nm of torque. The vehicle accelerates from zero to 62mph in sub eight seconds with zero emissions. The car is also practical being able to seat a regular family and have a 200-litre boot. For customers wishing to travel on longer distances the i3 will also be offered with a range extender engine.

The BMW i8 proves that you can have high performance and eco-conscious motoring together. When this 2+2 sports car comes to market in Q1 2014 it will feature a modified version of the same electric motor used in the BMW i3, except this time mounted over the front axle, combined with a UK-built three-cylinder, 1.5-litre turbocharged combustion engine mounted in a mid engine configuration. With a combined petrol and electric engine power output of 349hp and 550Nm of torque it will be capable of reaching 62mph from standstill in less than five seconds. It does this while producing a sub 99g/km emissions figure and attaining an approximate 94mpg on the combined cycle.

The BMW Group also presented for the first time the new BMW i wallbox charger which has been specially created for BMW i models. The BMW i wallbox has been designed to make home-charging particularly easy and efficient with installation offered via BMW i partners.

Ian Robertson pointed out that most people still don’t have personal experience of what it means to drive or live with an electric car and therefore have many questions that need to be answered. He said: “The BMW i strategy addresses people’s e-mobility concerns with a holistic approach, which we call BMW 360° ELECTRIC.”

BMW i will support customers with a four-pillar package which includes:

• Assistance Services – Customers will be able to rely on services such as ConnectedDrive e-remote apps and future roadside services such as mobile recharging equipment. These will include monitoring tools that allow the use of smartphones to check the car’s battery level, charging status together with an advanced navigation system that will select the optimal ECO route and display all the charging stations on the way.
• Public charging – BMW i will partner with public charging providers in all countries where BMW i models are introduced.
• Home charging with the BMW i wallbox and installation services.
• Flexible mobility solutions – Customers sometimes have mobility requirements which cannot be completely met by the range of an electric car. In such cases, BMW i will offer mobility options that enable longer distances to be covered – for example, through the access on such occasions to a BMW powered by a conventional, fuel-efficient combustion engine. The DriveNow premium car sharing service BMW Group created in partnership with car hire firm Sixt in March 2011 will also allow registered users to locate their nearest available car via a website and smartphone application in key cities.

In June, BMW i will kick off its “Born Electric” worldwide tour. This international communications roadshow will start shortly in Rome and touch down in Japan, then going to the USA before returning to London in early 2013. It will also visit France and China in the first half of 2013. These global events will present mobility services, new sustainable materials and technological developments, lifestyle trends and a vision of premium sustainable mobility in the future.

Ends

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles  and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 29 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about 1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2011 was euro 7.38 billion on revenues amounting to euro 68.82 billion. At 31 December 2011, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last seven years

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