Why Does Anyone Care If Anne Hathaway Borrowed A BMW i3?

BMW wants to make a big splash with the i3 in the environmental circles dominated by the Toyota Prius and Tesla Model S. But anyone can buy one of those now, so BMW is appparently placing i3s in the hands of celebrities. Like Anne Hathaway, who's been seen in one recently. Does that make you want to order one now?

TMZ snagged pictures of Hathaway being driven by her husband Adam Shulman – his acting credits include the cable movie The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, so he must know something about cars – in LA on Saturday.

Green Car Reports' John Voelcker and I had the same idea, though: this car belongs to BMW. Judging from the 27 in the windshield of her i3 seen in the TMZ photos and the fact it's not scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. until the middle of next year. That means BMW is probably giving i3s to some notable people to drive around and be seen in before the car officially goes on sale, as a way to boost its profile and appeal. It's an electric BMW, though. How much more appealing to the image-conscious crowd could it be?


Still, there's nothing that makes a celebrity easier to stalk than driving in a bright orange red tall hatchback that isn't even on sale here yet.

Photo: BMW