- Published: September 18, 2022
- Updated: September 18, 2022
- University / College: University of Pittsburgh
- Language: English
- Downloads: 19
The BMW i8- “ Born Electric” is a plug-in hybridsports car developed by BMW group, it was first introduced in 2014. Being goodfor the environment and belonging to the generation of supercars which made itone of the best option in the market.
The structure is mainly made by hybrid aluminum, thermoplastic and carbonfiber. The i8 is a silent electric driving sports car. It’s a $150, 000 supercartuned for fuel efficiency and sporting a mere three-cylinder engine with afuturistic look. The i8 falls under the BMW’s mission “ The BMW group is theworld’s leading provider of premium products and premium services forindividual mobility.” The i8 will be marketed as a Porsche 918Spyder, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi R8, Jaguar and Tesla Model S rival disputefuel efficiency; BMW planned to make the i8 product visible in approximately 50countries in which it is expected for the U. S to be the biggest sales market; As for Europe, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to be top markets. As forthe United States of America the company in North America created a nationalcampaign called “ BMW Innovations” which started on 1 September 2014.
“ Innovationis at the core of everything we do.” Trudy Hardy, vice president of marketingat BMW of North America, said in a statement about the campaign. “ Lookingforward” was the first TV ad to start the campaign. The i8 is part of BMW’s electric fleet “ Project i” being marketed as a new sub-brand, BMW i. Over the past century, BMW group has provento be a smart marketer. Worldwide, i8 campaigns were based on superior andinnovative technological advantages, the design and the luxurious experience.
BMW i8 is targeted at those who are aged from35 and over, mostly man who are tech fanatics and that are worried aboutdriving responsibly and not only for the ultimate driving experience and alsowant a sense of thrill. These people are from the upper-class and are able toafford and appreciate a $150, 000 masterpiece. The main segmentation of the caris luxury sports coupe for elite class. Customer who would like to own this carwill mainly have a $125, 000 annual salary based on a 5-year loan. Therefore, theideal customer profile would be: Income $125, 000 per year or moreMaritalstatus AnyHousehold AnyEducation Bachelor degree and higherAge 35+Gender Mostly menRace AnyOccupation Wealthy businessman and high rankingprofessionalsGeographic North America, Europe and Asia As for the psychology that was used for thisBMW product, the ‘ i8’ has a luxury, emotional and sporting appeal to attractnew customers.
It has a luxury appeal because when the car was launched, LouisVuitton created a series of carbon-fiber luggage’s for the car which aredescribed as “ Exceptional luggage for an exceptional automobile”. As for theemotional and sporting appeal, the ‘ i8’ with its iDrive option, is an open-toptwo plus two seaters representing a form of individual mobility with identicalsporting and emotional appeals. Thebenefits and features of the ‘ i8’ are:· Silentelectric driving sports car with 374 Horsepower with a top speed of 250km/h· From0 to 100 in 4. 4 seconds, usually a supercar with a fuel engine will need 4. 6seconds· Ithas a clever navigation· Iconicand futuristic design with aluminum frame with reinforced plastic which makesit safer· Frontalcrash warning system that flash and will hit the brakes for you if theydetermine you’re going to hot something· iDrive(on-board driver information system) with touch controller and handwritingrecognition, BMW navigation professional with touch controller and handwritingrecognition, and an 8. 8-inch color display.· You canupload a video directly from the car to YouTube because of a collaborationbetween the two companies· Excellenttransmission · Two electricalmotors· Parkingassistance· TrafficJam assistance· Scissordoors· Thecar runs on battery for day to day use, the engine kicks only when there is ahigh performance· Youcan integrate it with your phone, which means you can use your phone to findyour car, lock, unlock, make it horn and flash its light and you can know fromyour phone how much battery the car has left In conclusion, the marketing methods used forthe BMW i8 are clever.
Because ‘ i8’ is a luxurious car, their collaborationwith Louis Vuitton increased their value and made it more luxurious. Their slogan” Born electric” describes the cars perfectly, because the car is fully electricand will only use fuel if the engine needs a high performance. As for the targetgender, the car is mostly targeted for men, in my opinion whether its luxury orthe ‘ i8’ car no company should differentiate between the sexes especially sincethe world is moving into women equality; let’s take for example Saudi Arabiaallowing women to drive.
Moreover, a supercar is usually known for theirthrilling engine sound. The ‘ i8’ being a sport three-cylinder supercar and nothaving the thrilling engine sound decreases its supercar image. As we can see, the BMW ‘ i8’, in fact, is more than just a car with its futuristic look andtechnology; the i8’s eye-catching styling is straight out of a sci-fi glance. It has a low running cost and a great performance. It was the first hybridsupercar in the market and BMW’s most striking car ever, it is indeed highpriced but this ‘ ultimate driving machine’ as the company describes it, isdefinitely worth every penny. The most beneficial feature in this car is thatit is sustainable. Since the launching, BMW sold over than 10, 000 cars by earlyNovember 2016, exceeding the combined figures of all other hybrid sports carsproduced by competitors; so, we can assume that if BMW’s continue to deliverthe quality promised, their BMW i series will take over the market.
The car gotmany awards which some of them are Autoguide’s 2015 Reader’s Choice Green Carof the Year, ‘ world green car of the year’ at fame India Eco Drive 2015 and theWorld Car of The Year organization declared it as the winner of the 2015 WorldGreen Car.
