Woodcliff Lake – A new campaign for the 2016-’17 BMW 330e iPerformance hybrid sedan points out to the impatient customers that there will be no waiting list for the 2017 version.
The publicity is hitting at Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) with a series of spots premiering during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The ads place the 330e as a direct competition of Tesla’s $35,0000 Model 3. The messages don’t mention Tesla by name, but the references are quite clear, and BMW is taking advantage of the fact that Tesla’s customers will have to wait a while to get their hands on Model 3.
While Tesla is still a relatively small player in the hybrid and expensive niche, there are currently building what’s going to be the biggest automaker-complex in the world, the Gigafactory 1, in Nevada. Elon Musk’s latest production is set to deliver up to thousands of Model 3 vehicles– with thousands top-end Panasonic batteries – by 2018.
‘You can wait, or you can drive’
Because Model 3 is at least three years away, BMW speaks to those on Tesla’s wish list.
“You will wait, and wait, and wait some more. All before that electric car company’s new model ever even arrives,” says the ad for the plug-in hybrid.
As BMW says, there is no need for a deposit. Model 3 is set to be the first mass-produced car by the California-based automaker and its success holds the keys to the company’s future.
The sedan was announced in late March, and the introduction generated a lot of hype: by the end of July, Tesla had already taken 373,000 orders for the Model 3. The company is not expecting to deliver the first one by late 2017.
The BMW alternative
The 330e iPerformance, an all-new model, is powered by a 2.0 turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine with 180 horsepower, eight-speed automatic transmission and 184-pound feet of torque; with the add-on of an 87-hp electric motor based on the same technology that the BMW i3 hatchback and i8 coupe already have.
The plug-in engine-battery takes 2.5 hours to charge in a 240-tolt station, or up to 6 hours in a 120-volt plug, standard in every household. It allows pure-electric driving with possible speeds up to 75 mph and a range of 14 miles.
It is worth $44,795, a market segment for hybrid cars were you could also find the Lexus ES 300h, the Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron or the Lincon MKZ Hybrid.
Source: Auto News