BMW’s innovative i3 electric city car is proving even more popular than expected – so much so that BMW is already considering a production increase. The company has received more than 8,000 advance reservations.

“If demand holds, which is what it’s looking like, we will soon have to invest more,” Chief Financial Officer Friedrich Eichiner said at a press conference in Amsterdam. BMW expects to sell over 10,000 i3s next year and “will adjust capacity according to demand.”

The i3 will go on sale in Germany in November with a base price of 34,950 euros ($47,440), and will hit the US, China and Japan in the first half of next year. US MSRP will be $41,350.

Business is good at BMW, mostly thanks to strong sales in China and the US. The company’s stock price has gained around 13 percent this year.

“The interest in the i3 electric car is generally a good sign,” said Commerzbank analyst Sascha Gommel. “BMW has already absorbed the research and development costs for the vehicle and the car is profitable. So every car sold contributes to profits.”

Source: Bloomberg