Check this out! An ad for the BMW i3 has surfaced on our sister classifieds site, oto.my. According to said ad, the “first (unit) in Malaysia” is priced at RM488,000 – which is a fair bit of dough for what is, basically, a five-door electric runabout. Well, no one said standing out would be affordable.
So while you’re away doing the numbers, allow us to remind the rest of our readers what the BMW i3 is all about. Said five-door hatch was the first model to be launched under BMW’s new sub-brand, dubbed BMW i, in 2013. The BMW i3 is powered by a rear-mounted synchronous electric motor that puts out the equivalent of 170 hp and 250 Nm. An optional range extender arrives in the guise of a 647 cc two-cylinder petrol engine.
With said option equipped, the BMW i3 possesses an operational range of 240 km. Charging the i3 takes more or less three hours via BMW’s i Wallbox Pure while utilising a rapid charging option can slice the time taken down to a little over 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, eco-friendly BMW fans will either have to opt for this grey unit or plonk down RM1,188,800 for the BMW i8 as the latter was the only i-branded model to be officially brought into Malaysia. If you’ve got about half a million burning a hole in your pocket, check out our test drive of the BMW i3 to find out whether or not it’s worth taking that plunge.
GALLERY: BMW i3 tested in Cyberjaya
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Not a practical price for Malaysian… although he is millionaire… billionaire…
so true especially when the MB GLC is priced below RM350k. those who would go for this i3 are either die hard BMW fans or i-don’t-care-i-have-money fanatics
Exterior wise Proton emas wannabe.
Iriz still going to win this car hand down… Global car never let us down but lousy BMW are expensive and no power !!!
better buy Iriz. Our Government cares for us and has given us a good car like Iriz. Rm50k vs RM500k. Orang bodoh sahaja beli BMW.
What money you gonna save on fuel? In one year, this car become RM200k after RV jatuh like crazy.
Thank you BN. Thank you Malaysia for Iriz
The Iriz not yet sold already RV so bad. This year discount RM8888, next year RM18888?
I will consider when a new Iriz drop till RM200. Why pay so much for a junk?
You mean, incredibly-stupid-people-with-more-money-than-sense fanatics.
I love the Tiny tyre in this BMW i3.
mat rempit always love tiny tire.
Unfortunetly you still cannot afford it
very bad RV..
BMW owners don’t give a damn about RVs. They have the money to buy.
Damn cool… Id rather go for the range extender makes more sence!
You don’t pay RM490k to save fuel, somemore it is neither a sport car nor a luxury car. Save the money and wait for our Mirai better.
I rather pay substantially less and get Nissan Leaf. At least its here now, officially supported and the infrastructure around KL is available. Your Mirai, slow slow wait lah.
You mean that ugly junk design that was inspired by a pig?
490k? byk lg opsyen
ewok, makan, 2 bmw aktif tourer
Giler babi, for that kind of price there are a sea of options to choose from.
Basikal beroda tiga.
Top up a bit and you get an ……… yes, X5 !
maybe this is the Most Beautiful BMW on earth.
wut do u mean maybe?? its not maybe, it IS the most beeautiful bmw on earth..sekian, terima kasih
government suppose to make EEV cars tax free. too bad it has this one requirement that it needs to be built in malaysia.
so you end up w/ an S400 hybrid that is tax free for rich folks, while the common people end up paying taxes for that MyVi / Iriz / Persona and Saga which doesn’t qualify….
Well played, well played….
This doesn’t make sense. In the UK it’s the same price as a 320d M Sport. Even with all the options ticked & the maximum amount of tax it shouldn’t be more than rm350k
Such pricing shows how messed up is our country’s auto policy. This car isn’t meant to be insanely expensive, and for the eco friendly. But with such pricing, a Mercedes S400 Hybrid isn’t that far away. Only an insane person would buy such a car.
This is just an expensive toy
I rather buy two Iriz. One for road, one for track use.
To be honest, that’s one ugly half a mil car…
I have seen this car in person a few times, even sat in one. This car should not be twice the price of a 3 series, at most the rm300k. Almost half a million for an electric compact? No way.
Somethings wrong with this country.
This kind of price…
It makes our ringgit feels like banana money now.
I know this is kinda crude, but I’d rather buy a Hummer and guzzle RM100k worth of fuel to drive around Malaysia rather than buying the i3. I might have extra money to buy a small house after my escapade.