Source: Gasgoo
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According to Bloomberg, although BMW is still optimistic about the pure electric vehicle market in the United States, it expects the growth rate to slow down.
“Is the U.S. electric vehicle market growing? One hundred percent it’s growing.” Sebastian Mackensen, CEO and president of BMW North America, said in a Dec. 12 interview, “But is it growing at the same level as some experts predicted a year ago or six months ago? Probably not.”
Sebastian Mackensen；Image source: BMW
Mackensen said BMW plans to build six all-electric models by 2030 at its Spartanburg, S.C., plant. Last October, the company also began construction of a $700 million high-voltage battery assembly plant in nearby Woodruff.
To combat the problem of electric cars costing more than gasoline-powered vehicles, BMW has adopted a strategy of offering long-term lease credits to retail customers. In this way, BMW is able to take advantage of federal subsidies thereby lowering the price of its electric vehicle lineup and making it more affordable.
In another interview on Dec. 12, Mackensen said, “Consumers don’t seem to be willing to pay a premium for different power technologies.” He noted that long-term leases could help close the price gap.
BMW looks to electric vehicle market leader Tesla as a good indicator of consumer interest in electric vehicles and that there are no significant partisan differences in demand for electric vehicles in either blue states, which typically favor Democrats, or red states, which are dominated by Republicans.
Shaun Bugbee, BMW’s executive vice president for North America, said in an interview, “I don’t think it’s a red-state-blue-state issue. Tesla is the market leader in pure electric vehicles and they sell electric vehicles in every state, regardless of color. And we see a similar path of growth.”
