Build Your BMW i3: The Configurer With Pricing is Now Live

Once the US i3 options pricing specs were public it was just a matter of time before the i3 configurer would be live. It's now up and you can design your own i3, add and remove options and see how it looks with different color and wheel combinations. The range extender isn't an add on option though, instead it's treated as if it is a different vehicle entirely even though everything else is the same as the BEV i3 (with the exception of the rear wheel size if you get the standard style 427 wheels).

I'm happy to report BMW didn't do what some other EV manufacturers did and build the $7,500 Federal Tax Rebate directly into the price. They clearly show the "Total MSRP as Built" and then have a line that says "Estimate" to indicate that you may be eligible for the tax credit and also offers a line to see if your particular state has additional incentives. Additionally there is a Gas Savings calculator to estimate how much you can potentially save in gas but that's very difficult to say without knowing what car you are displacing, how much you pay for electricity, if you have solar, etc.

Want to see what your custom designed i3 will cost? Here are the links to the site:

Configure an i3 with Range Extender

Configure a BEV i3

i3 REx in US Spec Spotted at Pebble Beach

You can tell this is a US spec i3 by the red and orange reflectors on the edge of the wheel wells. Look at the previous pictures on this blog and you won't see the reflectors there because they were all European spec pre-production i3's

I've had people ask me if I had any high resolution pictures on an i3 in Laural Grey already but till now I didn't. there were a couple pictures out there of i3's with the partial camouflage in Laurus Grey but none since all the wraps have come off. So when I came across these pictures posted on Bimmerpost taken a couple days ago at the Pebble Beach Auto Show in California I grabbed them and figured I'd put them up here for those that want to see this color on a real car and not just on the online Visualizer.

The only thing I'm thinking about with this color is the details get hidden because everything looks nearly black. Another reason I need to see it on a car in person.

I happen to like this color a lot. In fact it may have escalated up to the top of my want list now but I still need to see all the colors on cars in person. Another thing people have asked me about is the blue stripe below the side doors. Can it be ordered in different colors? The answer is no it can't. All of the cars will have the "BMW i Blue" accent there, as well as on the inside of the double kidney faux grill in the front of the car with the exception of i3's ordered in Solar Metallic Orange. The accent color on Solar Orange is called "Frozen Grey Metallic". Unfortunately you cannot mix and match. I suppose the only option you'd have is to customize it yourself and have the pieces painted after you purchase the car if it really bothers you.

You can see the blue trim piece here below the carbon fiber door sill. It's much more visible when you open the door

The BMW i Blue grill really stands out when it's on a Laural Grey i3.

So if you really don't like the standard accent color on your i3 your only options are to repaint it or possibly apply a vinyl wrap - at your expense. I happen to think the trim colors look good, but that is obviously subjective. Actually, if I were to complain at all about the exterior colors, I'd wonder why BMW stuck so much grey scale. Other than the Solar Orange all the other colors are a shade of white to black with slivers and greys in between. The Solar Orange is the only real bold color and I think they could have been a little more creative there. How about borrowing a cool color from the M division?

The Frozen Grey Metallic accent on the Solar Orange i3's will look less prominent than the BMW i Blue will on the other cars in my opinion since it's not as bright of an accent

BMW i3 Visualizer Goes Live

Thanks to follower CDspeed for posting the link to the new BMW i3 vehicle configurer or Visualizer as they call it for the US market. Here you can check out the different interior and exterior options, wheel choices and colors Pricing isn't available yet as it is on the German BMW i3 site, but it is nice to see the car in various colors and wheel combinations so you can decide which one you need to start saving for!

Here's the link to the site: BMW i3 Visualizer

For those interested in pricing options for the German market you can download the list here