It is very rare when one can
say BMW needs to catch up to someone in the automotive segment, but when
it comes to the electric vehicles market, that statement might be valid. BMW is
new at the EV game where companies like Tesla Motors have been at the forefront of this for
years and have opened the doors for other automakers as well. Often seen as
competitors, truth is that Tesla is not only helping BMW, but the entire
industry of electric vehicles.
Tesla has
been providing the upper-mid class of car owners the green solution they need
with the Model S which was launched back in 2012. Only a handful of Model S units were sold that year, but that
was followed by 22,000 deliveries in 2013. This year, Tesla Motors are now
looking into delivering more than 33,000 cars.
On the other hand, BMW has not
yet ventured in developing a luxury sedan powered only by electric motors, but
it has still managed to put out the high-performer BMW i8,
and the great, small and nimble BMW i3.
Especially the latter one is selling in respectable numbers.
According to green energy website CleanTechnica,
it seems that over the past three months sales for BMW’s fully electric i3
accounted for 4.9% of its total US sales – which is the highest share of total
sales among all the car manufacturers that don’t strictly sell electric cars.
What’s more important, the high share means an overall shift to the electric
car technology as well.
For the
first three months after its launch, the mid-range electric city car only made
up 2.3% of BMW’s total U.S. sales, so the latest sales report show a healthy
increase in overall sales and demand.
It was
also reported earlier that the BMW i3 had outsold
Tesla’s Model S in August. Sales for BMW i3 in the month totaled
1,025 units, a nice increase of 182% sequentially, while Tesla Model S sales
came at 600 units, which is 54% lower over the same period last year.
While not
competing directly now, the two automakers are on a collision path within the
next 2-3 years. While BMW has their own share of sedan hybrid vehicles, a fully
electric powered mid-range sedan has yet to arrive. The BMW i5 might be the solution.
On the other hand, Tesla Motors
has yet to venture into the small city car electric vehicle product range,
meaning the American automaker still relies mostly on the Model S for the time
being. A 3 Series electric competitor is in works though and will arrive in
2017.
During a
shareholder meeting in April, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk said, “We can produce
something like the i3 or better than i3 right now, but it wouldn’t be great. It
wouldn’t be amazing.”
While BMW
has been catching up to the Tesla Motors in terms of electric vehicles, overall
sales of vehicles in general is still very much on BMW’s side of the fence.
Both automakers need a subtle
transition into different market; Tesla, on one hand, needs to expand its
product range accordingly, while BMW needs to improve the i3 in the next
iteration and also deliver new electric vehicles to the masses.
Sales and
demand for the BMW i3 and BMW i8, and the Tesla Model S show that the electric
vehicles market is ready and future, diversified products will cater to new
demographics therefore increasing their market share.
The two
companies are certainly at the forefront of the electric vehicles revolution,
and both are also disrupting other industries as well. BMW is heavily invested
in the production of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), while
Tesla is building their own battery factory.
Written by Unknown
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