BMW has 100,000 people interested in i3 EV

BMW says about 100,000 people from around the globe have expressed interest in testing out the automaker's upcoming i3 electric vehicle.

Although those 100,000 hand raisers won't necessarily turn into buyers, BMW sales head Ian Robertson says the company has a "significant numbers of deposits" for the i3, indicating there could be demand for the automaker's first mass market EV.

"We are confident that with the i3 and i8 we will shift the [customer demand] needle because we will shape some of this technology" in the EV sector, Robertson told Automotive News.

Set to be the first vehicle to launch under BMW's “i” sub-brand, the i3 will debut in production form this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The i3 will hit the European market by the end of the year with a sticker price somewhere between 28,800 and 38,800 euros, or close to the price of the 3-Series.

BMW will follow up the i3 with the i8 plug-in sports car.

Robertson acknowledges that the i3 might initially be met with limited success, but says the electric vehicle will play a key role in BMW's future vehicle plans. "It is an investment in a future agenda, and it's an agenda where we think zero-emission vehicles have a very, very key part to play."