BMW & Tesla Taking Different Approaches But Will Ultimately Face Off

Horatiu Boeriu of BMWBLOG recently did a piece titled "BMW vs. Tesla - Which Company Is A Bigger Innovator?" in which he mentions that while both companies are competing in the premium automobile segment and are committed to electric mobility, they are taking different paths to achieve success.

I'm not going to try to analyze who has it right or who is a bigger innovator, but it's clear that both companies have chosen to focus on different aspects of their respective vehicles. With Tesla, it's all about the batteries. Unlike every other automobile manufacturer, BMW included, Tesla's approach isn't for their electric cars to complement their lineup of gasoline and diesel offerings since they don't have any. Instead, it is to render gasoline vehicles from their competitors obsolete. In order to do so, their cars have to be at least as good or better than most features of competing gas cars; and that includes range, performance and utility. BMW on the other hand doesn't need to necessarily worry about making everything better. They can focus on specific needs of certain customers and make a vehicle that is better than any other at a specific set of tasks, without cannibalizing sales of other vehicles in their lineup. If you accept that premise, it's not difficult to understand why we have the Model S and the BMW i3.

Tesla knew they had to knock it out of the park with their first high volume vehicle offering. They knew they had to offer a car that could stand its ground against all of the top luxury sedans while offering a range long enough to allow for road trips enabled by the Supercharger network. Even though that was an enormous task, and one that few automotive analysts really believed they would pull off, they did just that and the Model S is a smashing success. No disrespect to the sexy styling or the fabulous performance of Model S, but the heart and soul of what the car is can be attributed to the enormous battery pack it uses, filled with industry leading, high energy-density batteries. Tesla is all about the batteries. Even though the Model S uses batteries that have a higher energy density than any other EV manufacturer, they still aren't satisfied. They aren't waiting for the market to bring them better, cheaper cells for their future cars. Instead they are in the process of building what will be the first of many Gigafactories, which will be the largest lithium ion battery manufacturing plants in the world. This will drive down costs, guarantee that they have the supply that they need, and allow them to constantly upgrade to better cells without needing to wait for battery manufacturers to retool production facilities to produce them. The key to Tesla's success is having the best batteries available, and to manufacture them for less than what their competitors are paying for comparable cells. It's the only way to offer large battery, long range electric vehicles and be able to price them competitively.  It's Tesla's edge, and perhaps their only hope to compete and actually beat the large, established automakers.

BMW's not in the battery business and is unlikely to follow Tesla's path as such. As mentioned above, since they didn't need the i3 to do everything better than any other gas offering as the Model S had to, BMW could focus on a specific set of goals with their first electric vehicle. The i3's code name was the Megacity Vehicle and the goal was to develop a car that would be the perfect electric vehicle for the increasing populations within the megacities of the world. They also wanted this car to represent a departure from traditional manufacturing processes with an emphasis on sustainability.  They set out to make the most efficient production car available today and they achieved that goal. The extensive use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and aluminum allowed BMW to shave 400 to 500 lbs off the car which played a primary role in its efficiency.

Will BMW leave Tesla in their rear view camera? That doesn't look very likely at present.

I believe the i3 is as much of a learning experience for BMW as it is their first electric vehicle. Every step of the manufacturing process was rethought and redesigned for the i3. In fact, the i3 uses 70% less water and 50% less electricity to manufacture than a comparable-sized conventional BMW would. In addition, the Leipzig manufacturing plant where the i3 is made is now completely powered by wind-generated energy. So as much as the i3 is an important vehicle to BMW today, the lessons learned bringing it to market today will pay dividends when future i cars are made. The i3 indeed paved the way for the rumored i5 and other models from the i brand. You can expect larger battery, longer range electric cars from BMW i in the not-so-distant future. I suspect by the time Tesla releases the Model III, BMW will have an electric offering which is comparable size, range and price, and that will be good news for the consumer.

My i3 had a visit by its big brother. I'm one of the few lucky people outside of some select journalists who have driven an i8 on public roads. The future is definitely looking electric!

BMW knows that by focusing on a specific set of needs (efficiency, performance, sustainability) rather than long range, the i3 isn't as well suited for road trips as the Model S. They knew that every kWh of battery that they added would sacrifice efficiency and increase the cost of the car. I still maintain that if BMW had indeed used a slightly larger battery and delivered a true 100-mile EV, it would have been much better received, but that's a pointless argument now. While it does have a shorter range, the i3 does have features that are not even available in the Model S, such as adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance with automatic braking and self parking. As you would expect from BMW, the i3 is an extremely fun car to drive, and a great addition to the current lineup of EV offerings. I think it fits in well situated directly between the Model S and the LEAF in price.

My i3 at home

BMW did realize some customers would want a longer range so they offered the range extender as an option. It's really a great option to have and while I personally like how well it works, it isn't for everybody. Many have argued that the REx ruins the purity of an EV, and while I can agree with that, I can't agree that it shouldn't be an option. If such a feature allows more people to buy a plug in car, then I think that's great. I see the range extender as a temporary fix until batteries get better, lighter and cheaper, but a necessary evil at present. Obviously BMW agrees with that and unlike Tesla, they will wait for the market to bring them improved battery tech while Tesla has decided to bring improved battery tech to the market. Different approaches, different cars and I don't think either is right or wrong. They are both working on bringing cutting edge technology to market today with the promise of even better things to come. BMW and Tesla aren't going head to head in the EV space right now, but they certainly will. Competition is good because it forces innovation. Maybe Horatiu was onto something after all.

One last point: If Nissan does deliver on the rumors that the next generation, 2016 LEAF will have a 150+ mile range, and they can deliver it for a reasonable price, then both Tesla and BMW should be concerned, very concerned...

BMW and Tesla going nose to nose in the premium electric vehicle market is inevitable.

BMW i3 Carves up Monticello Raceway

A few months ago I posted a story from InsideEvs written by my good friend (and neighbor!) Chris Neff. It was his take on a day in October which he spent filming a series of videos for BMW of him driving around Monticello Raceway as a passenger in a BMW i3 driven by professional race car driver Erin Crocker. We have been waiting patiently for the release of the videos and the first in the series was finally made available. Take a look above!

BMW i3 Sochi Olympic Commercials Revealed

BMW has released a series of commercials that will be used for commercials during the Sochi Winter Olympics which just opened yesterday. There are spots for many of the new BMW products but the BMW i3 spots will be the first commercials ever aired in the US for the car so I've posted them here.

The commercials are titled "Shhh", "Reasons", "Cop" and "Zero Gallons". I really like Shhh & Cop. I think Reasons is OK and am not a big fan of  Zero Gallons. Shhh (seen above) is great. A father comes home and when his son wonders why he didn't hear him pull up the dad says "Electric car...sneaky" and goes off to bed. This gives the kid the great idea of sneaking out quietly with the car for a rendezvous with his girlfriend; something that many teenage kids do. I remember pushing my dads 1976 Oldsmobile Starfire out of the driveway late at night so he wouldn't hear me "borrowing" it. I would then shut it off before I reached the driveway when I was coming home so I could silently coast back in without waking him. I could have really used a quiet EV for these stealth, late night adventures back then. However in the commercial the i3's smartphone app does the kid in, waking his dad to alert him of the cars charging status! Very clever spot.

The video below, Reasons, takes a swing at the idea that people only want to drive electric cars to reduce their carbon footprint, to help clean the air, to live a sustainable lifestyle, etc or in other words to save the world. But people buy cars for many reasons, and how well the car drives is one of the most important reasons of all. With the i3, you don't have to sacrifice driving pleasure to get all the other positives that driving electric brings, and this spot tries to drive that home.

"Cop" is easy to understand. The i3 is fast and fun to drive. You won't find yourself wanting to crawl along at 5 miles per hour under the speed limit in the slow lane if you have one. You'll more likely find yourself stomping the accelerator whenever you can. This will likely lead to unwanted attention by the men in blue.

While I like the message Zero Gallons was attempting to convey, I think it misses the mark. "This is our most efficient vehicle yet. With zero miles per gallon...more specifically, zero gallons."  Most of the i3's sold in the US are going to have the range extender option, so they won't really use "Zero Gallons" in the first place. But even if BMW wanted to get the "all electric" message out there, they could have done it better in my opinion. Perhaps show the car whizzing by a deserted gas station with tumbleweeds rolling past the pumps and the driver with a clever smirk on his face. Hopefully this one will get the least airplay because the other three offer much more powerful messages. 

The video below features the BMW i8, but it's really a commercial for the whole BMW i brand. The video uses the words of science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke and uses an array of futuristic cityscape visuals and then introduces the i8. It's inspiring, and reminds us that we aren't even capable of knowing what to expect in the future, and the i8 is just a taste of what kind of cars we are going to be driving very soon. 

It's track time! The first hand story:

My previous post was a video that showed some quick clips of an i3 racing around a track. I was happy to see BMW finally posting this video as I've been waiting for some performance-orientated marketing as I've had my fill of the Eco-Sustainable-Recylable side of the car for now. Of course all that stuff is very important, and BMW should be proud of how the i3 is the embodiment of BMW i's mission. But now it's time for some fun and this video is just the beginning. My good friend (and practically neighbor) Chris Neff was asked by BMW to spend a day at Monticello Raceway in an i3 piloted by race car driver Erin Crocker so they could film the i3 - and I suspect Chris's reaction. You can see Chris in passenger seat in some shots of the video below which is just a teaser, the real stuff hasn't been released yet. Chris was asked by InsideEVs.com to talk about his experience that day and the post below is what he wrote. I "borrowed" this from InsideEvs.com but they should get the credit for the original post which you can view here. Here is what Chris had to say:


Taking the BMW i3 on a track…a real race track, riding with a professional driver at the absolute limit for a full day at Monticello Raceway in New York and having it all caught on video; all this is what was spinning around in my head days before the shoot was set to take place.

Finally…The BMW i3 is on a Race Track – Image Copyright Chris Neff

I’ve been driving EVs since 2009, a MiniE and now the BMW ActiveE.  I’ve always been the kind of EV fan where performance was first for me, the eco was the bonus.  You can find me touting the benefits of EVs at many “green,” events but you will find me more often happily showing off my EV at exotic car meets and, in the past year, joined by other EV drivers who make it to the meets.  I’ve always felt the best way for people to embrace EVs is to show them off where you would never expect to see one…parked next to a Ferrari or Lamborghini or Mclaren…we all love cars and mine is a fun daily driver.
Now, along comes the i3, with its funky look and skinny tires.  I have to admit I was wondering if the i3 would be as fun as my ActiveE, I mean how could it be, just look at those tires.  Still, I liked the styling, it started to grow on me….but would it be fun to drive?  I know that is the question on the minds of many.
…and now here we are, I’m ready to learn if the i3 is a real ‘drivers’ EV and on a race track.

Monticello Raceway – I3 Handles Those Curves With Ease

It’s track day and now I get to meet the professional driver who is going to take us around the track.  Let me add that she is a professional race car driver.  Erin Crocker, who has been racing competitively since 7 (Nascar racer, sprint car racer, stunt car driver and EV newbie, nope never driven an EV) and she’s just an all around cool person.  She is laid back and, like the rest of us, loves automobiles.  So, this is going to be a real blast then right? I’ve never ridden in an i3 or been on a race track and Erin has never driven an EV.  I begin thinking we will just hit some decent speeds and test the handling…what could possibly go wrong.?
While filling out the final paperwork in preparation for the day I was asked if I kissed my family goodbye….umm….yes.   A few others came up and asked if I would be “ok” today…umm….why?

Any concerns I had quickly turned back to pure excitement when we headed over to the garage and there was the i3.  Photos do not do the i3 justice, you really need to see it in person.  No, it does not scream BMW, but it doesn’t have to.  It is a beautiful car in its own right, the eye catching details are plenty.  Erin and I did a quick walk around and I pointed out some of the unique attributes to an EV as well as the i3.  Especially those tires.  You are immediately drawn to them as they are so skinny and you have to wonder how this car can ever handle a road much less a track.

It’s close to 8 am and we head out.  Erin is scanning the dash and soaking up the new controls she will need to get used to.  That took maybe 30 seconds and then we are off.  I don’t mean gradually.  Nope, she really went for it right away.  I calmly looked over and asked if she wanted to get familiar with the i3.  She replied “no it’s ok.”   I then asked has she ever driven this track.  Never, she replied.  Right…ok….now this is getting interesting.
So we do about 3 laps and the speed is increasing.  Erin is feeling more comfortable, I’m not and it is not because of her driving, this is a first for me and all I’m seeing is how fast we are heading for a hairpin and no regen or braking is going on at all, at least not until the last second and when we go into that turn we are right back on the accelerator to pull out of it…..the i3 never flinched…I can’t say that for me.  I had such little time to process what was going on, but one thought was clear…the i3 is impressive.

We did a few more laps then pulled back into the pits.  Wow!!! I was full of adrenaline, a combo of fear and excitement.  I never expected the i3 to do that.  But wait, there is more, another 10 hours of this was left to go.  You see, this was to be a video shoot which means take after take…..we had two i3s to play with, one was the full electric and the other was the REx (extended range).  How would they both hold up through repeated on-track abuse?  We were going to find out and that was exactly why we were there.  Yes, I said 10 hours.  Now I understand why they were asking if I was “ok” with this.  Going flat out was pretty scary, but how long could that last?  Apparently close to 10 hours.  Okay then, let’s do this!!!
I won’t talk about the details of the shoot in this writing, I’m going to focus on what I think you all want to hear, how did it do on the track.   There are lots of reviews to be had on the i3, but none of them are about a track experience so here we go.
…before I head into my thoughts let me quickly chat about Erin, this was a fun experience for her.  It was clear she was eager to see what this funky little car could do.  While we zipped around the track I filled her in on EV terminology which she got a kick out of…’frunk’ was probably her favorite word.   She is truly a pro, she has been racing since 7 and does the sprint car circuit now, those are those tiny little 700hp race cars that go round and round a dirt track, very aggressive because you have to be.  Her driving style is all on or all off with quick turns of the wheel.  In many ways, an EV suits her style since they deliver power immediately or don’t and the i3s steering is instant quick…it was an observation of mine and she absolutely brought out all the i3 could do….I definitely got more grey hair that day.

Bet You Never Imagined You Could Fit All This on the I3′s Dash

Handling
First and foremost, the i3 is an extremely nimble critter.  How in the world can a car handle that well with such skinny tires and on one of the i3s was all seasons?  I’m no engineer, but a low center of gravity and low weight play an important roll.  The i3 looks tall, but the weight is down low and that chassis is as stiff as can be.  The i3 leans, but not enough to unsettle it.  Erin commented a few times how she was impressed at how easy it was to take a turn, very predictable and the front tires just kept grabbing.  Granted, the electronic stability brains were keeping us from sliding out, but not so much to ruin the fun.  The real issue that kept us from creating a slide was the computer cutting the power, there is no way to fully disable the anti-skid brains unfortunately.   Is this a problem?  Not in the least.  We were taking hairpins and long sweeping turns extremely fast, there is a sharp uphill hairpin, turn #18, and during the shoot we must have taken that 12 or more times both ways.  Not once did the i3 flinch…I sure did.   Especially going the other way where it banks to the outside, I could swear we were headed for the grass, nope, it was like the i3 was on rails….maybe it is.
The steering is incredibly quick, Erin had a real chance to test it in the slalom.  You will notice at around 20 seconds in the video is an abrupt turn to the right, the i3 can do that all day, left then right and vice versa.  It is hard to tell in the video but those cones were pretty close together and Erin got through them all a few times, that is her skill and the i3 was keeping up with her with lightening quick steering and a chassis that likes to dance.  The i3 was definitely in its element here.  Erin and I both said…wow.

That’s the chase vehicle – a Mercedes-Benz AMG ML63….the i3 had no trouble staying ahead of it

Turning radius
The i3 basically turns in on itself.  This is one sharp turning radius, take a look at 24 seconds into the video.  We were actually trying to get the i3 to do doughnuts, but the computer would not let the rear brake loose, still, you can see how it held and how sharp we were turning….about 27 times in a row.
Braking
In a word….wow!  We did a number of hard braking  shoots where we would be rolling along at 30 or so MPH and Erin would slam on the brakes…my eyeballs popped out with my brain following.  This car really does stop on a dime, we did this a few times and the brakes never faded.   In fact, the first time Erin slammed on the brakes it caught her by surprise, we did not expect it to stop that quickly, this car can stop!  This just might be the best braking street legal BMW out there.  We noticed no difference with the REx.
Ride quality
BMW has nailed it, of course this was a track and it was smooth but we hit those rumble strips regularly and fast.  The i3 never shuddered, it just soaked them up while still holding the track with composure.   It is one thing I noticed right away, the i3 ride is not punishing but it is extremely composed.   I’ve been driving my ActiveE for nearly 2 years and I do find the ride firm and a bit tiring after awhile but not the i3.  We even had an opportunity to have a full car, 4 adults, with gear inside, the i3 managed it well, never bottomed out or felt floatie.  This truly is an everyday comfortable driver that is athletic.
Chassis
Another wow, we had 2 cars to play with and we were on the track for nearly 10hrs.  The cars never complained, they came and left with the same tires, not a single creek or rattle and believe me when I say both cars were pushed to the edge time after time.  The i3 has no B pillar on either side….it does not need them.
Acceleration
The i3 is quick, probably the quickest street EV other than Tesla that is available.  It has basically the same power as the ActiveE, 170hp and 184 ft lbs torque but it is pushing over 1,000 pounds less.  The i3 is quicker at everything and very refined, power delivery is amazingly smooth and that’s saying a lot since EVs are inherently smooth.   The i3 also keeps up its acceleration all the way to top speed, around 90.  There is also a cool ‘Sail’ feature where basically there is a neutral spot between acceleration and regen where you can coast.  Erin did it at around 80mph a few times.
I was very impressed with how both cars kept taking the punishment being delivered to them.  They never faltered and were consistently comfortable.

Other Than 110 Chargers in the Pits – We Had Some Portable Chargers

Regen
The regen of the i3 is much more refined then the ActiveE is, more linear.   When I drove I did not really get a chance to try it myself and to be honest we never slowed down enough to experience it.
Interior
Other than the bits I was grabbing for dear life I did get a close look, mostly because my face or body was plastered on different areas of the car so I can confirm there are lots of soft touches in the i3.  This is a very high quality interior.   The i3 feels much bigger inside that you would expect and outward visibility is excellent all around.  The EV is quiet even at high speed, while cruising along at 90 the wind was not that bad….I never had to raise my voice to speak to Erin….well maybe when I was screaming in fear.
In the wet
Now this was pretty interesting.  The goal was to get the i3 to drift through water, no matter how hard Erin tried the i3 would not keep a sustained slide.  The anti-skid computer electronics kept the car in check even when flying into a puddle at high speed….is this a bad thing…not at all, this is a safety feature.  The i3 maintains control.
Range
Well basically we killed it, none to speak of.  The i3 had its ‘juice’ pedal mashed to the floor most of the time so it was impossible to tell what range we were getting, however with that said, I was able to see how efficient the regen was.  It was amazingly efficient, now I’m comparing to the ActiveE but just a bit of a roll down a hill and the i3 had some juice back, a few more rolls and we had even more.  For those know even a 1% difference is huge when you are trying to get home.  It looks like the i3 will have some very effective regen.

Erin and I After Our Awesome Day…The i3 Truly Impressed Us Both

So what was the REx like?
We had a pre-production REx version so it still needed some software programming but it works.  The little engine kicked on automatically with around 5 miles left of range, once it got us up to a few more miles it turned off, it was pretty quick, it pumps energy into the battery fast.   We had the chance to whip it around the track and it felt just as fast and just as planted.  Erin said she thought it felt a little better balanced…..all I know is it stayed on the track and I was extremely happy about that.
Summing it Up
I finally got my chance to drive the i3, it was a quick run but I got to feel it’s handling and acceleration.  The i3 is worlds ahead of the ActiveE.  I was really impressed, for me driving an EV is about performance and the eco part is the bonus, the i3 nails them both.
This was an absolutely amazing experience, being that this was my first true tack experience, that alone was cool enough, but that it was in the i3 and with a professional race car driver that had never driven an EV before made it all the more fantastic.  As EVers, we always want to give EV newbies seat time for that ‘A ha’ moment but the opportunity to get a professional race car driver into one and watch her expressions as she clearly enjoyed the car was icing on the cake.

I’m sure you are wondering how does it compare to other EVs? It does not compare, it’s a whole different type of machine. Did Erin really push the i3 to the edge…without a doubt…yes.  What you see in the video is not all out, there is more to come.  In the beginning she was holding back a bit, maybe giving me a chance to recover from shock, but eventually she opened it up, game face on, all business, and we were flying…literally…we caught some air.  We once went off the track into the grass but the i3 held the line and just tip toed over the blades of green and back onto the track.  There were a number of times I really thought we were headed for a guard rail or into the woods but Erin and the i3 just took it in stride….oh and the seats were comfy too, even though I was only in them half of the time.

There are some sounds of what appears to be tires squealing in the video….that is probably me.

The First-Ever BMW i3 Hot-Lap Video

Now this is more like it! I've talked to quite a few people within BMW that have driven the i3 on a track and have promised me it is a capable performer, worthy of the BMW name. The test drives for reporters and the public so far haven't really allowed for this kind of performance validation so it's good to see the i3 tearing around a track. This appears to just be a teaser video, so hopefully we'll get a longer version of this driving event soon. This is my kind of sustainability: Sustaining my driving pleasure!

BMW i3 Marketing Stepping Up

The i3 is set to launch in the UK, Germany and other select European countries in about two weeks now and BMW i marketing is preparing for the launch. Ads for the i3 and i8 are appearing in magazines and now a new video(seen above) has surfaced on the BMW UK YouTube channel.

I have been a bit critical of the little I've seen so far to promote the i3 and feel like BMW has been leaning on the sustainability angle way too much. In addition it seems like every short video clip they have made features a slim/metrosexual/surfer type. I'm not the only person to say this either, in fact of Richard Read of Green Car Reports wrote a whole tongue-in-cheek article on this, asking if BMW is only interested in waify metrosexuals to buy their i3's!

The good news is this spot is much better than what has previously been out there. I particularly like how the video has the i3 and i8 driving down a street in Chicago together to signify that they are born from the same genes but at a point they turn in different directions because, let's face it, although they have the same genetics these are two very different cars with different purposes. The camera follows the i3 until it eventually enters the car to show the interior and the drivers point of view before moving onward.

There is no talk of sustainable living, recycled materials or plant based door panels and key FOB. We hear about making choices, intelligent and efficient, lightweight carbon fiber, driving pleasure, electric and finally we're asked "Are you ready?" All to the perfectly selected and inspiring tune of Claire's Horizon (Broken Promise Land version). This is much more like it. Now sprinkle in a few video clips of an i3 screaming around a racetrack with one of your professional drivers at the wheel and we'll be lining up for test drives.

New Video Shows i3 Having Some Fun

A video posted on YouTube today by BikingInTheFreeWorld shows a Capparis White i3 having some fun on some roads in Germany. The video was shot from behind by the driver of a motorcycle and it's clear the driver of the i3 had more on their mind then "sustainable transportation". See for yourself.

Possibly the First Ever BMW i3 Street Race!

The BMW Car Club of America is a large organization that is well known for their extreme enthusiasm for BMW automobiles, particularly the ones that are fast or modded to be so. It's unknown how many of the existing members feel about the i3, but my guess is they will be hard pressed to accept it into the family of "performance" cars, unless of course they have the chance to drive in one.

Such was the case for Satch Carlson, BMW CCA member. Satch posted his story called "Satch Meets the i3" on the CCA website recently and described how he was converted from an electric drive doubter to a believer in one short ride.

He starts the post off with saying: "Okay, I liked it a hell of a lot more than I expected to". Satch goes on to tell the story of how he was riding in an i3 when a journalist driving a MINI Cooper S pulled up next to them and challenged them to a race. The i3 with at least two passengers beat the Cooper S much to the surprise and enjoyment of Satch. He commented on the torque and how much fun it was to ride in, and summed up his experience by saying "the fact is that this here little hot rod is ludicrous fun".

This is what I've been saying for four years now. These cars are FUN! The instant torque is really addictive and driving electric electric quickly becomes the drivers preferred method of propulsion for many people once they have had a reasonable amount of time behind the wheel of one, especially one with power. The i3's 0-60 time is about seven seconds. That's not M3 power by any means, but what it does have is instant neck-snapping torque at speeds up to 60mph, and makes it a blast to drive at these speeds. Yes, the power dips off at higher speeds, but for stoplight to stoplight fun, it's really hard to beat.

I understand there will be apprehension from the BMW loyalists that are so conditioned to hearing the rumble of the exhaust and equating that to power and fun, but they'll eventually come around. We just need to get them to drive the i3 for a while and like Satch, they'll find themselves with an "EV grin".

Is the i3's performance good enough for CCA mambers to welcome it into the family?

the fact is that this here little hot rod is ludicrous fun. - See more at: http://www.bmwcca.org/node/6424#sthash.RWYTmLD8.dpuf

Okay, I liked it a hell of a lot more than I expected to. - See more at: http://www.bmwcca.org/node/6424#sthash.RWYTmLD8.dpuf

Okay, I liked it a hell of a lot more than I expected to. - See more at: http://www.bmwcca.org/node/6424#sthash.RWYTmLD8.dpuf

Okay, I liked it a hell of a lot more than I expected to. - See more at: http://www.bmwcca.org/node/6424#sthash.RWYTmLD8.dpuf

Okay, I liked it a hell of a lot more than I expected to. - See more at: http://www.bmwcca.org/node/6424#sthash.RWYTmLD8.dpuf

i3 Modifications, a Sport Version and Fun

I found this photoshopped i3 on Bimmerpost. It looks to me like the creator has the right idea!

Now that we've seen the production i3 and BMW has revealed most of the specifications, I'm ready to begin the modifications! Evidently someone on the Bimmerpost forums is ready also because he used his photoshop skills and went to work on creating his own autocross-ready i3. I like it! It's even in the Laural Gray that I'm leaning towards so that made it all the better.

So this gets me wondering if BMW even realizes there are people out there that will want to modify their i3. BMW has already said there won't be an M version of the i3 and I conformed that with a program manager recently, but that doesn't mean they won't offer modification parts for those interested. After all, BMW cars are some of the most modified of any manufacturer. I hope they aren't under the assumption that just because i3 customers are concerned with things like sustainability, environmental issues, energy policies or just like driving electric that they won't share the same enthusiasm for driving as their combustion car customers do.

I'll take it one step further. Even if they don't cross pollinate the i and M brands, they could still make an i3 Sport version. Give it a special interior, offer it in a unique, bold exterior color, beef up the suspension, put on some real tires and give it a little more torque and HP(I'm sure they can do that with the same motor they have with very little tweaking) and you'll have a 6 second 0-60 car that will have better handling than 90% of all the sports cars out there. Sure it will probably cut 10 miles or so off the range but I think there are many of us out there willing to make that sacrifice.

I know BMW knows the market, and they know people want fun. Even if they are driving a "futuristic, sustainably manufactured" car. All that's great, but it's nothing if it's not fun. :)