BMW I Models Branch Out While Executives Take Off

BMW’s electric car sub-brand is growing, thanks to new and upgraded models, but its management ranks are shrinking as executives flee to a Chinese startup.

Three top names, including the program’s head, were lured to China’s Future Mobility Corp. this year, Automotive News Europe reports, while sales dropped by nearly a quarter in the first three months of 2016.

Call it a case of “i” gotta go.

Sales of the i3 city car and i8 supercar dropped 23 percent in the first quarter, during which time Carsten Breitfeld took off to the Chinese startup, along with manager of the i division’s powertrain group and the head of product management.

BMW CEO Harald Krueger tried to stay positive when discussing the brand’s EV sales, telling reporters today that the drop can be partly attributed to German customers waiting for a government incentive program to roll out.

“We expect further impulses for i sales in the second half when we bring an i3 with a 50 percent longer range,” Krueger said.

The i3 will see its available range boosted when 2017 models go on sale, but the boost is bigger in Europe. The U.S. model will be able to drive 114 miles on a charge, but the Euro-spec model is due for a 186 mile range.

Models equipped with a gasoline range extender receive both the bigger battery and a 25 percent larger fuel tank. The original battery packs remain on the entry-level model.

The i8 plug-in hybrid will receive a facelift for the 2018 model year, about the same time that a roadster version of the scissor-doored sports car appears in to the lineup. Like its squarish little brother, the i8 gets a larger battery pack, as well as a more powerful electric motor to compliment its turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine.

The roughly 10 percent boost in power would put the vehicle’s combined output at about 420 horsepower, Autocar reports.

The expansion of the i sub-brand is the first part of BMW’s long-term plan for the company, which includes electrification and development of connected vehicle technology.

[Image: BMW Group]