BMW to introduce latest ‘i Series’ electric cars to Sri Lanka

14 July 2015 02:39 am

By Dulasha Hettiarachchi

The German-based automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company BMW, one of the most eminent brands in the automobile industry, is to introduce its latest ‘i   Series’ electric cars to Sri Lanka.

Prestige Automobiles, the agents for BMW in Sri Lanka, has advertised in local newspapers in search of individuals to fill in positions brought about by the launch of its latest i Series. 

The BMW i Series is a sub-brand of BMW founded in 2011 to design and manufacture plug-in electric vehicles. The company’s initial plans call for the release of two vehicles - the i3 all-electric car and the i8 plug-in hybrid.

The production of i3 and i8 began in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The United States and Europe are considered the main markets for both models. 
According to Wikipedia, as of June 2015, over 30,000 i brand vehicles have been sold worldwide since 2013, of which, almost 17,800 units were sold in 2014 and over 12,500 during the first half of 2015.

The new budget presented in January significantly slashed taxes on electric vehicles to 5 percent from 28 percent. As a result, the importation of electric vehicles to Sri Lanka has exploded with over 600 cars being registered up to May.