BMW i3 Coupe EV in production end of 2013 (video)

The BMW i3 Coupe Concept will go in to production at the end of 2013, and BMW tell us why the i3 is so important in a new video.

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Despite car buyers’ antipathy towards electric cars, BMW still think they can turn their owners on to the joys of the EV, even if a BMW electric car seems diametrically opposed to everything the typical BMW buyer looks for.

We’ve already got the little i3 in the mix and due to arrive in 2013 (although it could come with the more pragmatic option of a range extender instead of as a pure EV) and the i8 supercar is well on its way.

But after the reveal of the BMW i3 Coupe Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show last month, BMW has confirmed the i3 Coupe will go in to production by the end of 2013, and it will be an EV.

That means, at best, 170hp from the electric motor and a 0-37mph of 4 seconds with a range of 100 miles with a six hour charge time (but 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes). All quite sensible for a city runaround, even if it will probably cost as much as an M3.

But BMW seem to have no interest in pushing the i3 Coupe as a ‘Sporty’ city EV, but have dug out their ‘New Age/Ageing Hippy’ thesaurus to extol the virtues of the i3 Coupe.

They include a ‘Life Module’ (previously know as the car’s cabin), ‘A New Generation of Mobility’ and the ability to plan ‘The most efficient and environmentally friendly route’ whilst passengers can relax in the ‘Lounge-Like Interior’ where the materials used set ‘New Standards in Sustainability’. All very edifying (and if you want to hear more you can watch the video below).

Will traditional BMW buyers grab an i3 Coupe EV? Perhaps, but only as a toy to sit alongside the new BMW M6 Gran Coupe in their garage.