German carmaker BMW is selling its i3 electric models in Japan over Amazon (Amazon.co.jp). The sale began Wednesday.
The small electric vehicle from the BMW stable has been popular in the markets of Europe and North America markets.
According to a company spokesperson, BMW hopes to find more customers for the model in Japan through the online retailer.
“We have 46 dealers (which sell the electric model) in Japan, but we hope this e-selling will cover the entire market more thoroughly,” Agence France Press has reported quoting the company spokesman mentioned earlier.
“This will widen the sales channel and improve convenience for customers.
“So many people are using the website. We would like to research potential customer groups who may be interested in our products.”
Amazon.co.jp offers two variants of the i3 — the regular BMW i3 with a range of 229 kilometres and i3 Range Extender that runs up to 300 kilometres on one battery charge.
The purchase process, though, is not in the usual click, pay and receive delivery format.
Once the potential buyer adds the car to the virtual shopping cart, BMW will get into contact with the potential buyers. The deal goes through once the buyer furnishes the documents that are required to prove that they have a parking space and a place to charge the vehicle.
Ajith Kumar S