BMW opens first i store in London
2012-06-14 12:07
SHOP WINDOW DISPLAY: The i8 electric sports car takes pride of place in BMW's first i Store on Park Lane, London.
The BMW Group has opened its flagship i store – but this one has nothing to do with Apples. It’s to showcase the brand’s new range of electric cars.
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The BMW Park Lane i store will officially open its doors on July 25 2012, as the brand shifts focus to its new sub-brand focused on “sustainable mobility”.
Image gallery: BMW i3
Ian Robertson, BMW board member for sales and marketing, said at a preview event at the store: “BMW i Park Lane marks a completely new approach. Situated next to BMW Park Lane and Mini Park Lane, it gives people a perfect opportunity to learn more about electromobility and get close to our future electric and plug-in hybrid BMW i vehicles.
'COMMITTED TO ELECTRIC'
“This is a further demonstration of our commitment to electromobility,” Roberts continued.
Robertson also presented an advanced version of BMW’s i3 Concept. The i3, when it goes on sale to customers from late 2013, will be BMW’s first all-electric production vehicle.
The BMW i8, which will be displayed alongside the i3 Concept at the automaker’s i store, will go on sale in 2014.
The group also used the unveiling to present, for the first time, its i Wallbox charger for the automaker’s i models designed for easy and efficient home charging.
ROCK STARS
But Robertson added that since most people still do not have a personal experience of living with an electric car, BMW will address prospective owners’ concerns on a holistic level.
A four-pillar package will include assistance services, public and home charging, and the loan of a conventionally powered car for those times when longer distances need to be covered.
In its quest to win over a reluctant public, BMW i will kick off a Born Electric “world tour” in June, 2012, taking the message of new sustainable materials, technological developments and trends to Italy, Japan and the US.
