“Our strategy is to continue with BMW i on the Romanian market, as well. We will officially deliver the first BMW i3 in Romania towards the end of the year,” Schulz said.
BMW will work with two dealers at first, which will have the necessary equipment for electric cars. All dealers will sell plug-in hybrids (which allow the car to run for up to 50 kilometers on a fully charged battery before using any gas) and have the necessary facilities to service them, Schulz added.
BMW Group Romania’s general manager believes the Romanian market has a very high potential when it comes to electric cars, which is why the group decided to launch such vehicles in this country.
The potential comes from the corporate segment, because all the major companies in the world have offices in Romania and sustainability campaigns promoted by them and BMW will attract customers for electric cars, the executive says.
Wolfgang Schulz will not provide any sales volumes estimates, considering the segment is completely new in Romania and only two models have seen 10 units delivered, that is Renault ZOE and Tesla Model S.
Electric car sales have been rising in Romania month by month, but only Tesla cars, whose price starts at more than EUR70,000 are seeing constant sales volumes, while potential buyers of more affordable models like Volkswagen’s e-up! and Renault ZOE, both priced at less than EUR30,000, have to wait for the start of a voucher program. The program was open to public debate until September 17 and might begin at the end of the month or early in October.
Government subsidies would help the electric car market, but another important thing is the development of the recharging network from parking lots, supermarkets to public stations, Wolfgang Schulz said.
Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA) data show 19 electric cars and 253 hybrids were sold in Romania in the first eight months of the year, compared with only 2 and 136 in the same time last year.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)