Recently, at the listing conference of the domestic BMW X5, it attracted the attention of all walks of life with a longer wheelbase than the imported version and a price difference of nearly 100,000 yuan. Perhaps it is that the domestic BMW X5 shines too strongly that day, making the domestic BMW i3 that appeared at the same press conference appear particularly low-key. However, compared with the BMW X5, which starts at 605,000 yuan, perhaps the BMW i3, which costs 349,900 yuan, deserves more attention.
Pure electric version of bmw 3 series?
It should be noted that the BMW i3 that appeared this time is not the cute hatchback car of Zengjin, but a medium-sized pure electric sedan. From the appearance point of view, it is similar to the fuel version of the BMW 3 Series, but it cannot be simply understood as a pure electric version of the 3 Series.
The exterior of the BMW i3 still retains the family style, even if there is no need to breathe, it still retains the classic double kidney grille. The enclosed grille and the exclusive blue trim of the BMW i series can distinguish it from the fuel version of the 3 Series in appearance, but it does not conceal the identity of "oil to electricity".
Although the BMW i3 has been criticized by netizens for applying the appearance of the Fuel 3 Series, it is precisely this design that allows it to share the high recognition and luxury car aura of the BMW 3 Series, so that people can know from a distance that this is a BMW, suitable for consumers with higher recognition of traditional luxury brands.
Excellent performance but slightly conservative
At the dynamic level, although the BMW i3 is 400KG heavier than the fuel version of the BMW 3 Series, with a maximum power of 210kW and a peak torque of 400N·m, the performance of 6.2 seconds of acceleration per 100 km/h is consistent with the BMW 330 model. The i3 also has rear axle air suspension that the fuel version of the BMW 3 Series does not have, which can balance dynamic performance and comfort. At the same time, compared with the 3 Series, the i3 has a wider front and rear wheelbase, and the center of gravity is reduced by 44mm, it is not difficult to imagine that the new car has better athletic performance.
Some consumers have believed that the BMW 3 Series has compromised to comfort in order to gain market recognition, such as the weakening of the support force by the soft suspension and the cancellation of the front suspension top lever to reduce the rigidity of the vehicle. Looking back at the BMW i3, not only did we re-see the front suspension top lever, but also equipped with a rear anti-roll lever in the rear chassis of the vehicle, which further improved the rigidity of the new car's body.
BMW i3 currently has only one model, using a single motor rear drive, equipped with a battery capacity of 70kWh, a cruising range of 526km, plus 6.2 seconds of breaking the hundred, overall is excellent, but in the current view of such parameters are slightly conservative, I hope that the follow-up to continue to launch a dual-motor four-wheel drive version or a larger battery version, bringing consumers a different choice.
Can being the first to take the lead?
As a traditional first-line luxury brand, every new car of BMW debuts, and everyone will compete with Mercedes-Benz and Audi models of the same level, but this time is different. The BMW i3's first launch gives BMW a head start in the luxury mid-level electric vehicle market, as there are currently no competitive products in the other two brands.
Although the BMW i3 has no competitors in the old rivals, it cannot compete with the new power brands. The BMW i3 listed this time only has a model priced at 349,900 yuan eDrive 35L, which overlaps with the Tesla Model 3 Performance version (priced at 367,900 yuan) and the extreme Kr 001 (priced at 299,900 to 368,000 yuan) in the price range, but from the perspective of brand positioning and product core charm, the above two are not i3 competitors.
One of the real competitors of the BMW i3 will be the WEILAI ET5 (priced at 328,000 to 386,000 yuan), which is also positioned as a pure electric luxury mid-size sedan. The two are also aimed at holding a budget of more than 300,000 yuan to buy a pure electric medium-sized car, which has certain requirements for power and control, and has a higher pursuit of brand grade and interior luxury.
But even in the same market segment, the two models still have big differences. With its simple sci-fi and even some radical design and high-level intelligent driving assistance functions, NIO ET5 strives to win the hearts of young consumers. BMW does not intend to take the same route, the level of intelligence of the i3 and the same price BMW 3 series is not much different, i3 does not intend to gain recognition in this regard.
The core charm of the BMW i3 product level is better than the BMW 3 Series under the premise of ensuring and enhancing the driving pleasure. From the perspective of body size and wheelbase, the BMW i3 (length, width and height of 4872/1846/1481mm, wheelbase of 2966mm) is a circle larger than the 3 series in all aspects, and larger than the NIO ET5 (length, width and height of 4790/1960/1499mm, wheelbase of 2888mm). At the same time, the appeal of the luxury brand that BMW has precipitated over the past century is incomparable to That of Weilai and other new car brands that have only appeared for 5 years.
Spicy car said
The launch of the BMW i3 is for consumers who want to buy a luxury brand mid-size car with a budget of 350,000-400,000 yuan. In this segment, the first appearance of the BMW i3 is conducive to quickly occupying the market, Mercedes-Benz and Audi two old rivals do not have the same level of competitors, the only similar opponent Weilai ET5 will need to be delivered as soon as September this year.
According to official disclosures, the BMW i3 has received more than 9,000 orders within an hour of opening the pre-sale, which to some extent reflects the needs of CONSUMERs in this segment. Xiaobian learned from dealers that if you order now, you will become the owner of the first batch of BMW Brilliance i3s at the end of May this year.