Is India Ready?

If you look at the dismal sales record of electric cars in India, you will realise that India has a long way to go on the emobility front, especially electric cars.

- P. Tharyan

Apart from the handful of Mahindra e2o and Mahindra eVerito electric cars that are sold in the country every year, there is really no other serious player in the emobility space. With barely any infrastructure for charging of electric vehicles and no major takers for such vehicles in the country, one really does not understand why BMW is showcasing its futuristic (at least for India) electric car BMW i3s in India?

This snazzy looking BMW i3S has been around for a year in India. It’s not for sale here in this country rather the company is showcasing its superiority in electric vehicles. We have evaluated it for its practically in an electricity starved country like ours.

In the US, an all-electric BMW i3s price starts at around $47650 which translates to approximately Rs 33 lakh. If such a car is imported for sale in India as a CBU, it would cost Rs 50 lakh plus. Does it make sense in India, well only time will tell?

EXTERIORS

Coming to the exteriors, the new BMW i3s is a good looker. Everything about the cars is black and white. You have this high gloss black finish belt running from the bonnet over the roof to the car’s rear with the A-pillars and roof lines too in black finish. A dash of blue on the side sills and at the front apron’s side sections, adds to the visual appeal of the car.

The new BMW i3s comes equipped with all-LED headlights as standard, which employ LED bulb units for dipped beam and high beam as well as the daytime running lights. The new turn signal indicators also feature LED technology and are integrated into the front apron in the form of horizontal strips.