BMW i4 EV Sedan To Arrive In 2021 - Will This Give Tesla A Run For The Money?

I remember when I thought Chris Bangle was bad for BMW. Will someone please bring him back?

Will the i4 be fun to drive as much as their equivalent ICE sedan?

Will the i4 have comparable powertrain options to effectively match or exceed the Tesla competition?

Will the i4 LOOK sporty and/or luxurious or have additional options for the customer to specifically choose b/t the two?

2021? What's the rush?

The 2021 model year is 14 months away in January 2020.

Should be available by mid 2019. The i4 will definitely not compete with the base Model 3, I'm sure this will be $55k and up.

from the way BMW brass is running the company, Tesla, VW & Mercedes Benz have nothing to worry about. By the time the electric car they think is better than everyone else arrives, it will look just like everything else they make and cost more than the competition... After all it is a BMW... right?? pay more get little or nothing more than dated styling and the most expensive car you can buy to maintain... BMW is a has been that should find another larger company to merge with so they can find someone that knows how to design cars that people want... short answer, BMW is competition to no-one.

We now have information that shows just how misleading the EV market is.

Recently - a study was done where they took apart a model 3 and a Bolt and a Leaf - to determine approximately how much they cost to produce. The Model 3 and Bolt - at their lowest level - would cost just over $30,000 - while the Leaf was a little lower. At normal markup for cars- there cars should list at around $48,000 based on their cost. THat they are listed at around $35,000 show just how meaningless sales figures for these cars are. GM loses money on every Bolt it sells - and Tesla would do the same with the Base model 3 (Note - add in transportation - and advertising - and dealer/sales support - and service training). Then the buyers often get tax credits for buying these cars.

Eventually - car makers will have to price EVs correctly - and that means the Higher level Model 3 cars - would go up about $15,000 over what they are today - making them most certainly NOT in the price range of a mass market car. And would a $65,000 Model 3 actually be worth the price - I doubt it.

THere are about 55-60 new EV models being projected over the next two-three years. But - until they are priced as if they were competing with ICE vehicles - we cannot actually say that EVs are the answer. Certainly at that cost of the Model 3 - it is not the answer to the low end.

The entire (minuscule) EV market in the US is a mirage - there is nothing about it that is base in reality and enduring/potential profitability. The EV market is entirely a creation of government regulation.

One of the best things that Trumpinator could do is to eliminate EV subsidies immediately and let the 'free market' determine TRUE demand for EV's at a price/value equilibrium.

Tom, are they accounting for incentives and average value of options added?

The statement was that the "BASE" sedan would cost this amount to produce. AS the cars price rises - of course there are added costs of those additional items - but - remember - the price of "OPTIONS" are generally marked up much higher than the the base price of the car.

Now - let us assume that the BMW will cost a little above that of the Tesla to produce - but it will get a FULL tax incentive while Tesla will not. THe question is - will BW price their car at low profit margins - or will it be priced properly. WE don't yet know that. ANd until we do - we cannot predict how they will compete. If the prices are similar - I would suspect that many people with deposits on the Tesla will cancel them for the Bmw.

"The automobile will never replace the reliable and affordable horse" — horsespies readers, 1901

http://ir.tesla.com/static-files/725970e6-eda5-47ab-96e1-422d4045f799

X7 hands down. Finally, BMW shows something that looks NEW. Not the same thing they've been selling for 40 years.

And on first look good design inside AND out.

Will sell well even though it's six years too late.

001

@Agent001 - Agreed. NEW is something that has been lacking on the BMW stand for a very long time. If they just made their concepts, they would be doing just fine.

Model 3 Performance now has a 0-60 of 3.3 seconds, 310 miles of range, excellent handling. They're going to have to step it up big time to compete unless they are going to try to undercut Tesla's prices.