At the 2014 LA Auto Show, BMW says it needs to increase the i8 production to meet the high demand worldwide. BMW sales and marketing chief Ian Robertson said the i8 delivery time for a customer is up to 18 months.
“We need to find ways to increase i8 production because the waiting lists in some markets are getting too long,” Robertson told Automotive News Europe.
Robertson said six months is as long as customers should have to wait for a built-to-order premium model, but he declined to elaborate on current production levels of the i8, as well as on any potential output increase. He said BMW planned the i8 as a low-volume model with annual sales in the low single digit thousands.
This year along, BMW delivered 760 i8 models to their customer, with October being the highest sales month: 419 units. IHS Automotive forecasts that BMW will build 3,238 units of the i8 this year, increasing to 4,318 next year. While most of the U.S. dealerships are sold out of the i8, others still hold onto their small allocation and sell the hybrid sportscar at huge premiums.
