Slow sales=Dealer incentives and lower prices.

[WoodlandHills]

My local dealer is having a test drive event where you can test drive any BMW a and get a $1000 coupon good for 60 days. I can get one and will have to pay $1000 less when I sign my lease.

Also a dealer in NorCal is offering 3 year/10000mi leases for $369 with $3995 due on signing on BEV's. It seems that this place has over 40 i3's on their lot and need to move some. Most likely this scenario is taking place all over the country........

I think I might call around and see if I can get a better deal at another dealer, no papers have been signed nor money changed hands yet. My local offered $1000 off list price, but it looks like I can do better than that now. There is a ship full of i3's arriving in Port Heuneme on Oct 3 which means that dealers will have even more stock on hand and have even more reason to deal.

 

[Cappanda3]

There was an ad from my dealership for 450ish a month plus tax with no money down. That NorCal dealer deal, assuming you are in OC (8% Sales tax) would round out to 18328 total for the whole term. The 0 down deal is 17496 total (with 0 down) I don't think the deal is there anymore, however PM me privately. As I am very well aware of all the deals going on, and we are having that same test drive event as well and matching the 1000$ incentive from the voucher, for a total of 2000$ in incentives! :mrgreen:

 

[cove3]

If you wait for the VW e-Golf to go on sale in November, you will see steep i3 discounting. It's $8,000 cheaper plus 4 full doors, Sirius radio and leatherette seats. Every time I check my local dealer inventory, he has 16 i3s in stock. From the color and price, it seems like they're the same cars, so I suspect they're not moving as rapidly as BMW would like

Ron

 

[WoodlandHills]

I just got off the phone to several more dealers and they all are offering the $1000 voucher plus a $1000 match so the list price has just dropped by $2000 here in CA. I gave them all my info plus details on the car I want so they can compete for my business. My local dealer gave me $1000 of the list w/o my even asking, not counting the voucher and the match so that looks like $3000 off of list is the starting price before talking any deals.

I wonder how it feels to be sitting on a dozen or more i3's with another allocation arriving in 10 days

 

[jelloslug]

If you wait for the VW e-Golf to go on sale in November, you will see steep i3 discounting. It's $8,000 cheaper plus 4 full doors, Sirius radio and leatherette seats. Every time I check my local dealer inventory, he has 16 i3s in stock. From the color and price, it seems like they're the same cars, so I suspect they're not moving as rapidly as BMW would like

Ron

You need to do a bit more research if you think the VW and the i3 are comparable.

 

[jelloslug]

I just got off the phone to several more dealers and they all are offering the $1000 voucher plus a $1000 match so the list price has just dropped by $2000 here in CA. I gave them all my info plus details on the car I want so they can compete for my business. My local dealer gave me $1000 of the list w/o my even asking, not counting the voucher and the match so that looks like $3000 off of list is the starting price before talking any deals.

I wonder how it feels to be sitting on a dozen or more i3's with another allocation arriving in 10 days

I got $4k off (with a $1k voucher) my loaded BEV.

 

[cove3]

<<<You need to do a bit more research if you think the VW and the i3 are comparable.>>

I've done a lot of research. If you exclude the Rex that half the buyers don't need or want and only deal with the basic bev, they are completely comparable.
1. Similar range, performance, mpg
2. e-Golf is $8000 msrp cheaper
3. Beyond the outright price differential, e-Golf has 4 full doors, leatherette interior, all LED lights, Sirius radio, partial power seats, all windows electric, 50% more cargo space, 5 passenger seating, and you can see the hood
4. 2015 Golf gas is rated #1 in the compact, hatchbacks, and affordable small cars categories.

If by comparable you mean the aluminum frame and carbon body, this does give the i3 a 740 lb advantage but also costs more to make. Not being aluminum/carbon and being a bigger car requires 200 lbs more battery and more steel but VW's use of lighter high strength steel body panels help keep that weight difference narrow, while providing a longer hood, full doors and more cargo space.

If you mean trendy looking, these don't affect function which is to get from A to B safely, comfortably and economically. My wife for one doesn't find the trendy look appealing

If you mean designed as an electric car from scratch, the 2015 Golf also is a new common platform designed to accommodate gas, diesel, nat gas, battery or fuel cell. With 50 million Golfs sold in the past, the economies of scale for VW which spill over into the e-Golf are massive, which is why VW can undercut the i3.

I've read six i3 to e-Golf comparison reviews, so the reviewers themselves think they're comparable. And these all give the nod to the e-Golf

Ron