Luxury electric vehicles in demand
German automobile manufacturer BMW has a new state-of-the-art showroom in Barbados, showcasing its luxury class electric vehicles.
The showroom is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and it is the latest incarnation of showroom designs laid out in a boutique style. Using its colour designs, lightning and positioning it aims to put customers at the centre.
The showroom is located at the Automotive Arts complex in Welches, St Thomas. General manager at Automotive Arts Nicholas Branker said they are pleased with the reception the showroom has received so far from the general public.
“We really can’t get enough vehicles for the demand we are getting right now and we are kind of blown away by the reception we’ve got so far since we opened our doors.
“So we are trying to get as many vehicles in as soon as possible and into customer’ hands,” Branker said.
The BMW i4 is among the luxury class electric vehicles showcased at the showroom. According to director of sales operation for BMW in Latin American and Caribbean, Alex Luhn, it is a mark of the manufacturers’ strong focus on electric mobility.
Luhn said they are not focusing on going 100 per cent electric but rather keeping an eye on customer demands.
“They say the customer has the power of choice. And just to give that example, the two most sold cars in the world at this point in time are theTesla Model three. On the other hand, it’s the Toyota Hilux.
“Sustainability is top of the agenda for us, the materials that we use, efficiency of the cars, recycling in the production process, and so on. With electric this is a trend that we see with a strong momentum,” said Luhn.
Marketing director with Automotive Art, Jeremy Foster, pointed out that the current duty and excise structure on hybrid and electric vehicles makes buying into electric vehicle a much better option.
“It allows us to get customers into very highly specified luxurious vehicles for the price that an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) equivalent or combustion engine equivalent would not even be remotely close to,” said Foster.