Do you have an i3 on order and awaiting delivery?

[AviatorMan]

I'm getting more and more pissed off that people in the US can order an i3 now and get it in 2 months...yet I ordered mine 3 months ago and still have 4 months to go! Bull shit. My frustration due to the need for a 2nd car has me seriously considering cancelling my order and getting something else.

Yes but are those typical situations? I don't think the current wait time for a US i3 is two months, although I don't know exactly what that time is.
I went on the 'list' in December, paid in a deposit on January 25th, and that exact car will be handed to me about August 5. During the time I was waiting just to order I was reading posts from UK owners who were driving theirs. So it cuts both ways.

 

[brianives]

I'm in the same boat, literally, as AviatorMan. I put a deposit down last November, got my order finalized as soon as BMW Seattle would allow, in January, and am waiting for the Carmen to creep up the coast past Mexico to CA by the end of July with an early August delivery. Painfully slow. Hopefully worth the wait.

 

[elptex]

To some degree that is true. Y'all may have put deposits down that long ago, but BMW didn't bring the i3 to the US market until just 1 month ago. So in consideration of vehicle in market, you're within a 2-3 month delivery window. No one in the UK has been less than 6 months.

I blame right-hand drive config...

 

[i3Alan]

... mine at the port since 7/13, with no ship assigned yet, heading to AZ. When you say the next boat is the Otello, are you looking only at W&W boats? I understand there are one or two other shipping companies BMW uses to the west coast, some with smaller boats that move faster with fewer stops along the way, getting from Bremerhaven to LA in about 2 weeks.

BMW uses only Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics for vehicle shipping to U.S. Yes, they own more than 1 shipping line but you can do a search on their site for ships leaving one port and arriving in another. In this case, Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme. You will then see which ships will be on that route and the departure dates. Otello is the next ship to leave Bremerhaven for Port Hueneme (and points in between).

That leaves me more concerned than ever. After all, the Otello (https://www.2wglobal.com/global-network/fleet/fleet-overview/fleet-list/#.U805flb5NXs) can only hold a maximum of 6700 cars! Are you sure they will have room for a few more?

More seriously, how do you know only W&W is used? I have seen other BMW delivery discussions saying Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme is also served by NYK and K-Line, which are not part of the W&W lines, nor covered by the W&W search page.

 

[ultraturtle]

I'm getting more and more pissed off that people in the US can order an i3 now and get it in 2 months...yet I ordered mine 3 months ago and still have 4 months to go! Bull shit. My frustration due to the need for a 2nd car has me seriously considering cancelling my order and getting something else.

The difference might have something to do with how the cars get ordered, not when. I have the impression that UK dealers don't actually own the cars, but act as agents, passing the orders on to BMW. A Brit placing an order waits the typical 4 to 7 months to get his or her i3. A Yank "placing an order" isn't really placing an order at all - he or she is getting the dealer (who placed the order for initial allotments on or about February 5, 2014) to modify an order that had already been placed. The BMW i3 has not been marketed much in the USA, almost nobody knows about it, and demand is generally pretty low, so many of these dealer owned vehicles actually made it through the pipeline and onto the showroom floor with nobody having claimed dibs. Certain configurations arrived more quickly than others. Those folks stumbling into a showroom, hearing about the i3 for the first time, and driving off in their new i3 the same day simply lucked out.

Not all Yanks have been that lucky. A deposit for my car was placed in August, 2013 with instructions to place the order the moment the dealer got his allotment, which he did on Feb 5. It finally got built last week, and I will not get it until late August or early September. Same 7 month wait as you, but unlike you, my delivery has no chance of getting moved up.

Had I been in Great Britain, the order would have gone in last fall, I would have taken delivery in the winter, and would have been driving it for a half year already.

 

[Mike74jcw]

... mine at the port since 7/13, with no ship assigned yet, heading to AZ. When you say the next boat is the Otello, are you looking only at W&W boats? I understand there are one or two other shipping companies BMW uses to the west coast, some with smaller boats that move faster with fewer stops along the way, getting from Bremerhaven to LA in about 2 weeks.

BMW uses only Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics for vehicle shipping to U.S. Yes, they own more than 1 shipping line but you can do a search on their site for ships leaving one port and arriving in another. In this case, Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme. You will then see which ships will be on that route and the departure dates. Otello is the next ship to leave Bremerhaven for Port Hueneme (and points in between).

That leaves me more concerned than ever. After all, the Otello (https://www.2wglobal.com/global-network/fleet/fleet-overview/fleet-list/#.U805flb5NXs) can only hold a maximum of 6700 cars! Are you sure they will have room for a few more?

More seriously, how do you know only W&W is used? I have seen other BMW delivery discussions saying Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme is also served by NYK and K-Line, which are not part of the W&W lines, nor covered by the W&W search page.

Yes, that's correct from what I know.............the lines used are W&W and NYK for sure, probably K-Line too but I'm not 100% sure about them. My car is currently on the W&W Torrens which will arrive in Port Jersey on Wednesday!

 

[Buskraut]

My car was definitely shipped on the NYK Cygnus Leader. NYK does not have the nice tracking tools like W&W.

 

[Zzzoom3]

I have seen other BMW delivery discussions saying Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme is also served by NYK and K-Line, which are not part of the W&W lines, nor covered by the W&W search page.

Yes you are correct. I had seen that also but supposedly they deliver mainly to the East Coast? This morning I called BMW iConcierge. Sure enough, my vehicle is on an NYK vessel (Lyra Leader) which left Bremerhaven on Saturday! It's due to Port Hueneme on 8/15. I would think the other folks here who's cars were at the port are also onboard. Call your dealer.

 

[i3Alan]

I have seen other BMW delivery discussions saying Bremerhaven to Port Hueneme is also served by NYK and K-Line, which are not part of the W&W lines, nor covered by the W&W search page.

Yes you are correct. I had seen that also but supposedly they deliver mainly to the East Coast? This morning I called BMW iConcierge. Sure enough, my vehicle is on an NYK vessel (Lyra Leader) which left Bremerhaven on Saturday! It's due to Port Hueneme on 8/15. I would think the other folks here who's cars were at the port are also onboard. Call your dealer.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5L...llSSjBWcl93ZEExZmgtOXo4/edit?usp=docslist_api

I was pulling up this site to say I just found out my i3 is on the NYK Lyra Leader, only to find you found the same!

Interestingly, according to BMW customer service today, it left Bremerhaven on July 19. Customer service told me on July 18 that it was sitting at the port, waiting for the next step, "hand to Munich" which, I presume, means it is waiting to get its ship assignment by someone in Munich, which is then followed by "assigned to ship" before it shows up as en route to US. I was also told it could be a few days between Munich and the ship assignment, followed by perhaps a couple weeks to get on the ship. I find it strange that customer support has so much detailed information, yet are so far behind on what is going on. I'm guessing that some time next week the web site might advance from "Production End" to "En Route to the U.S."

 

[i3Alan]

Just found some interesting tidbits about the NYK Lyra Leader, which is carrying some of our i3s across the pond now. This ship can carry 6500 cars, and uses all electric propulsion. I believe this refers to multiple torpedo like units with electric motors driving propellers, which can swivel underneath the ship. I doubt it is tapping into our i3 batteries, as it probably has an onboard generator!

If someone finds a good way to track it, please post. I would especially like to watch it transit the canal.

 

[jadnashuanh]

The local BMW corporation negotiated how many vehicles they would be allotted from the available production capability. If either side miscalculated the demand (high or low), and someone doesn't cancel, they get built as the allotment slot comes up.

In some dealerships I've checked with in the USA, some have a vehicle or more in stock, ready for sale, some do not, and have sold their entire allotment. The dealers sometimes have a borrow/share policy, so what may not be available at one, might get traded to another. That's what happened when I decided on mine - my dealer did not have one like I wanted, but they were able to trade with another that did.

I concur with the comment about advertising...there has been very little advertising in the USA on the i3. Some of that is probably because in most places, the cars are selling without it. There are places in the USA (around the big middle plains area) where they have not been selling well, which, to me anyways, makes sense since it can be over 100-miles to the next town of any size - a city car, even with a REx, just doesn't make sense!

I think, but do not know, that BMW corporate opted to offer a larger allotment of i3's to the USA because we tend to buy more of the bigger, less fuel efficient vehicles, and the i3 sales tend to offset that and help keep the average fleet fuel economy down so they don't have to pay penalties. Another part to this is the general dislike (misguided in my view) of diesel engines, which tend to be the majority of sales most other places verses the gasoline versions. With our relatively cheap fuel costs, and loose taxes on things like CO production, most people don't want to or need to deal with diesel. Plus, while the sulfur levels have been mandated to be lowered on the fuel sold here, it is still higher than that available in the Euro zone. This means any manufacturer of a diesel engine vehicle cannot use the same engine here, and with the reluctance of most buyers to them, and the relative sales volume, they do not push many. So, something was needed to get the CAFE down, and the i3 is the hopeful venue.

Of the first four i3's my dealer had come in the door, two were already sold, and the other two were sold the first week...then, he had to wait for more. They seem to be pretty much going out as fast as they come in, and if you want something special, you'll have to wait unless you're lucky enough that they can find one near enough by to trade for you. Some people are willing to buy without seeing or driving a vehicle, but there's a lot more than will wait to see, touch, and experience the vehicle...then, with no advertising, it's the enthusiasts that are looking. Once more are on the road, I think the demand will peak, and delivery times will become longer until the factory can expand production to catch up. BMW did not expect the demand, and it takes time to buy new equipment and build space to expand.

 

[Zzzoom3]

If someone finds a good way to track it, please post. I would especially like to watch it transit the canal.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...y:53.64538?_=3889637189e2e4c743cca4efa5f28022

 

[JPCruising]

The Laurel Gray Tera BEV all option w/19" wheels still has not entered production. Talking to dealer today he said it is scheduled for Aug. 4th to enter production. He did some checking and found an unsold Tera BEV configured as I wanted but in Solar Orange off loaded at the port last Friday. So I changed colors and it should be at the dealer in next ten days or less.

 

[i3Alan]

If someone finds a good way to track it, please post. I would especially like to watch it transit the canal.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...y:53.64538?_=3889637189e2e4c743cca4efa5f28022

THANKS!

 

[Zzzoom3]

The Laurel Gray Tera BEV all option w/19" wheels still has not entered production. Talking to dealer today he said it is scheduled for Aug. 4th to enter production. He did some checking and found an unsold Tera BEV configured as I wanted but in Solar Orange off loaded at the port last Friday. So I changed colors and it should be at the dealer in next ten days or less.

Good for you! Enjoy it

 

[I33t]

If someone finds a good way to track it, please post. I would especially like to watch it transit the canal.

It's on Marine Traffic, but you have to search using it's IMO: 9284752

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/index/ships/all/shipname:9284752

Currently running down the coast of Holland.

 

[AviatorMan]

If someone finds a good way to track it, please post. I would especially like to watch it transit the canal.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...y:53.64538?_=3889637189e2e4c743cca4efa5f28022

THANKS!

In a few days you will lose tracking on that site as it is shore based/limited range. When that happens switch to
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=3EBC
for positions 4x daily. Then pick it up again at the Canal with that original link to track it through the locks. Photo opps via webcam are best on the exiting south lock hi-def camera. Transit time through the entire canal sequence is about a full day, through the canal itself about 8 hours.

 

[stumbledotcom]

I think, but do not know, that BMW corporate opted to offer a larger allotment of i3's to the USA because we tend to buy more of the bigger, less fuel efficient vehicles, and the i3 sales tend to offset that and help keep the average fleet fuel economy down so they don't have to pay penalties.

I believe the California ZEV mandate (adopted by 10 other states plus DC) has more to do with i3 allocations than CAFE. BMW could probably meet its corporate fleet requirements by managing the mix of 3-cylinder Minis, smaller displacement turbos and diesels. Any CAFE benefits of the BMW i sub-brand is gravy. Instead the BMW i role is to build ZEV credits. That fact alone explains why people in a third of the US are able to purchase the i3 with short waits relative to other markets.

If you live in a state or country that doesn't require ZEV sales, be assured that the i3 is worth your patience. Two months and over 1,000 miles in, driving it remains a daily joy for me.

Certainly don't resent Californians. It might be argued that without our meddling bureaucrats, the BMW i program would not exist in its present form. And maybe not at all.

 

[elptex]

The reason is actually a lot less "American politics rule the world" and more simply about business: the US is BMW's largest market, then Germany, then the UK (source: 2 BMW dealerships I've spoken to in the UK). As some articles have noted, with the US being BMW's largest market and the BMW customer base generally being able to better afford more-expensive new technology, the US is their biggest market for i-series vehicles. Of course the California politics help, and of course that simply provides a business opportunity.

Despite the UK being their 3rd largest market, the whole right-hand drive thing really screws with that as the rest of their top-10 markets are left-hand drive. My dissatisfaction with such a long wait isn't about not understanding all the reasons for why I have to wait, it is about BMW's apparent lack of concern or willingness to do anything about it. It may seem simple, but giving me just one of any of the upgrades we've added for free as a gesture of "sorry for having to wait 7 months while the rest of the internet tries to console you as they drive around 5 months sooner than you, making you feel like you're less important than them" would cost them virtually nothing yet make me a much happier customer. Its a simple principle: customer service.

 

[mrsmith]

Ordered i3 BEV on 8th January

Car build 10th June 2014

Collecting 24th July 2014 (I am in UK).