BMW has announced that their ‘i-Brand’ dealer network in the UK will consist of 46 dealers centred on areas of biggest population.
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Each i-Brand centre will have specialist technical capabilities so they can work on the i range of cars and their high-voltage batteries, and BMW say there will also be a wider network for servicing and maintenance of their electric cars.
The first of the -Brand cars to go on sale from BMW will be the city car i3 (which will also come with the option of a range extender engine to make it truly useful) later in 2013 followed by the i8 supercar.
Prices are yet to be confirmed even for the i3, but we’re expecting the i3 to start around the £35k mark and the i8 – when it does arrive – costing something closing in on £100k.
BMW’s Group MD, Tim Abbott, said:
With the announcement of our BMW i retail network we are open for business and taking deposits on the i3 and i8. Our BMW i dealerships are located in the areas of the UK with the highest concentrations of population.
With BMW i, we are offering game-changing technology that will revolutionise the way we move through a completely new driving and ownership experience.
It’s a bold move from BMW and probably the best chance the electric car has of taking hold in the premium sector. It seems likely existing BMW buyers may well be seduced by the low running costs of the i3 (for ‘er or ‘im indoors) as a useful second ‘runaround’, and not put off by the high headline price.
It’ll be interesting to see how many i3s get specced with the range extender option.
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BMW i Dealer Network UK
Bavarian Lloyd Newcastle Berry Chiswick North Oxford Garage Benham Wolverhampton Ocean Plymouth BMW Park Lane Rybrook Warwick Bowker Preston Sandal Huddersfield Broad Oak Canterbury Scotthall Milton Keynes Chandlers Brighton Soper of Lincoln Cooper Croydon Specialist Cars Stevenage Cooper Norwich Stephen James Enfield Cooper Reading Stratstone Derby Cooper Teesside Stratstone Leeds Cooper Tunbridge Wells Sycamore Peterborough Cotswold Gloucester Sytner Birmingham Dick Lovett Bristol Sytner Cardiff Eastern Motor Company Sytner Harold Wood Elms Cambridge Sytner High Wycombe Fairfield Sytner Leicester Halliwell Jones Warrington Sytner Sheffield Harry Fairbairn Glasgow Vines of Guildford Jacksons Jersey Westerly Exeter John Clark Aberdeen Williams Liverpool Knights North Staffs Williams Manchester Lloyd Carlisle Wood of Bournemouth
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