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Other models’ results were not disclosed.
In the second quarter of 2021, the BMW Group (BMW and MINI) reported 96,561 sales in the U.S., an increase of 89.5% from the same period in the previous year. Additionally, it is 15% higher than in 2019.
Unfortunately, aside from stand-alone models that are exclusively available as plug-ins, the German manufacturer hasn’t recorded plug-in electric car sales for a few years (i3 and retired i8).
When the figures started getting worse, we think BMW Group stopped reporting plug-in sales. The corporation has remained silent, so perhaps the results are still quite meager.
The sales of the BMW i3 are drastically below their peak years, and if there isn’t another improvement or price cut, the i3 could end up being discontinued.
- 511 (increased 172% year over year, but from a low base in 2020) and 851 YTD (up 238%) are the two i3 metrics.
The top 10 were HomeRun Edition-only BMW i3s.
After eight and a half years and 250,000 units produced, the production of the BMW i3/i3s has ended.
The BMW i3 was created in the BMW Group facility in Leipzig, Germany, and distributed to more than 74 nations.
It was a ground-breaking vehicle for the business as it was one of the first standalone all-electric models to hit the market and the first series battery-electric model from BMW.
A passenger cell built of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and an aluminum chassis made the BMW i3 a distinctive vehicle.
The business also marketed a REx (range-extender version) of the i3/i3s, which has a small gasoline engine for emergency use, in addition to the 100% electric i3/i3s (sporty version). The car’s battery capacity increased over time, from 21.6 kWh in the first iteration to 33.2 kWh (27.2 kWh useable) and 42.2 kWh for up to 307 km (191 miles) of WLTP range.
According to BMW, it is also the most popular electric vehicle in the world in the premium compact sector with 250,000 units sold worldwide.
BMW i3 production ceased at the end of June 2022. The last 10 are unique BMW i3s HomeRun Edition models. The completion of the automobiles in the assembly hall was open to customers.
HomeRun Edition trim for the BMW i3:
- Frozen Dark Grey or Frozen Dark Red II are two new BMW Individual paint colors.
- Double-spoke light alloy wheels measuring 20 inches in diameter
- a glass roof that is electrically powered
- solar-controlling glass
- LED headlights that can adjust
- Vernasca Dark Truffle leather upholstery, a leather instrument panel, a leather steering wheel with galvanized detailing, a Carum Grey roof lining, ambient lighting, and the welcome light are all examples of the high-quality interior design of the suite.
- The Comfort package, Driving Assistant Plus, Professional navigation, wireless charging for phones, a Harman Kardon hi-fi sound system, and online entertainment with music flat rate are all included.
Some BMW i3/i3s electric vehicle components, such as battery modules or drive units, were also utilised in other EVs. The MINI Cooper SE specifically uses e-drive components (although in the front-wheel-drive configuration). Additionally, battery modules can be found in Torqeedo electric motorboats, Turkish Karsan electric buses, and Streetscooter vehicles used by the German postal service.
Due to the planned release of the next-generation fully electric MINI Countryman, the BMW Group Plant Leipzig will become the first BMW Group facility to produce both BMW and MINI vehicles.
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Beginning next month, BMW will no longer offer the i3 electric hatchback for sale in the US. This tiny vehicle is the most recent to succumb to American car purchasers’ unquenchable hunger for enormous, towering, climate-destroying trucks and SUVs.
The i3 was BMW’s first truly electric vehicle and went on sale in 2013. The i3 had a modest 170 horsepower and a maximum range of 80 miles from a 22 kWh battery because it was always designed to be more of a city car than anything meant for long distance travel. After a 2017 update, the battery capacity increased by 50%, to 33kWh, bringing the range to 113 miles. It was never a sales juggernaut because of its bizarre, futuristic, and divisive design, but it over time undoubtedly gained a cult following. In the nascent EV industry, the i3 was able to carve out a place, and since its introduction, BMW has sold around 100,000 of them internationally.
But it was undeniably losing significance. BMW Blog reports that the i3’s US inventory was at its lowest point in the previous 12 months, with consumers frequently having trouble acquiring a production slot. Only 1,052 i3s were sold last year.
A BMW spokeswoman confirmed in an email that the i3’s US manufacture will stop in July 2021. The BMW i3 was a groundbreaking electric car and lightweight design when it was introduced in 2013, according to the spokeswoman. The BMW i3 was among the first specifically designed electric vehicles in history, and its build, which used aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced plastic, set it apart from all others.
The BMW iX SUV and i4 sedan, which together represent the tip of the spear in the automaker’s delayed bid to reclaim its early sales momentum for EVs, are set to go on sale soon thanks in part to the “success” of the i3.
BMW enthusiasts were upset that, in the years following the launching of the i3 and the plug-in hybrid i8 sports vehicles, the firm never produced replacements. However, the business is making improvements to the underlying electric technology. Now, that next-generation technology will also power the Chinese-made iX3 in addition to the iX SUV and the i4 sedan (which is now officially not destined for the US).
Naturally, the iX and i4 will cost more than the i3, which began at about $44,000. The entry-level i4 will cost $55,400, while the iX is anticipated to cost $83,200. Early in 2022, both EVs will be available for purchase in the US.
In July, BMW i3 sales in the US will come to a stop.
BMW reportedly plans to quickly stop selling the i3, its first all-electric manufacturing car, in the US. It’s anticipated that production for the US market would end as early as July. However, it appears that the i3 will still be marketed in other nations, albeit only until 2022.
The BMW Blog post citing a dealer letter provides the information about the i3’s removal from the US market. Only 180 production jobs are reportedly left on the market in the US, according to the article. The model, which has been in use since 2013 and was most recently modified in 2018, will then gradually be phased out.
The revelation contradicts a declaration made by a BMW representative at the end of 2019 that the i3 would “continue to be built into 2024” and get another facelift. Particularly given that, in addition to the BMW Blog, the website Bimmer Today is currently reporting that, in addition to the impending termination of manufacturing in the USA, the production of the i3 in Leipzig will now be totally halted as early as 2022. The portals don’t specify where they got this information from.
A spokeswoman for BMW said to electrive: “In its ninth year of manufacturing, we are quite pleased with how the BMW i3 is doing in terms of sales. And as long as there are enough of customers, we’ll keep building it. We want to continue to be involved in the premium electric compact car sector even when its life is up. However, it is not required that this be done using the BMW i3 model.”
As is well known, the i3 is constructed on a specific chassis and features a distinctive carbon passenger cell. It launched BMW far in front of the competition in the electric market in 2013. Since then, the i3 has sold over 200,000 copies. The battery of the model and its sports offshoot i3s was last modified by the automaker in September 2018 when new Samsung cells with 120 Ah raised the total capacity by approximately 30% to 42.2 kWh. The values at the time of its 2013 introduction were still 60 Ah and 22.6 kWh. 2016 saw the release of the first battery update, which has 94 Ah and 33 kWh. According to WLTP assessments, the range was raised to 285 to 310 kilometers, or 260 kilometers in regular driving, with the switch to 120 Ah cells.
BMW predicts that by 2030, fully electric vehicles would make up at least 50% of its global sales, based on current market predictions. Approximately 10 million fully electric vehicles will be on the road worldwide in the next ten years, according to the BMW Group. The second phase of the change is currently underway, according to the Munich-based group. Project i’s pioneering work, from which the i3 originated, was the first phase. The model range is currently being transformed into Phase 2 with adaptable platforms. The product lineup will be reconfigured with the “New Class” after 2025; this is likely to be the electric vehicle platform that BMW revealed in November 2020.
200,000 of BMW’s eccentric i3 electric cars have been produced.
Since the start of manufacturing in 2013, BMW has produced 200,000 i3 electric vehicles, according to a report released on Tuesday.
According to a news release from the automaker, the milestone vehicle was built for a customer in the German state of Saxony and completed in Fluid Black metallic paint with BMW I Blue highlights.
The i3, which was introduced in the US for the 2014 model year, set new standards not only as BMW’s first mass-market electric vehicle, but also through creative design elements like a body shell made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, eccentric styling, and an interior that used kenaf, a plant-based material.
The now-discontinued i8 plug-in hybrid and other “I” cars, which BMW originally intended to be distinct from its other models and take greater design risks, were part of this idea. Future BMW electric cars are anticipated to be somewhat more traditional in nature since the carmaker appears to have revised its ideas.
The 200,000 mark is significant because, in the US, the federal EV tax credit starts to phase down after the sale of that many eligible plug-in vehicles. However, as of the end of June, BMW is just halfway there.
The i3’s diminutive size and constrained range have probably hurt sales in the United States. Even while BMW has made advancements over time, the 2020 i3’s EPA-estimated range is still only 153 miles (200 miles with the included gasoline range extender), while the majority of automakers are striving for all-electric ranges of more than 200 miles.
To put things in context, the Nissan Leaf’s global sales totaled over 400,000 last year, and in August, production surpassed 500,000 vehicles.
Volkswagen believes it can sell 500,000 ID.4 crossovers annually by 2025, whereas Nissan needed two generations of the Leaf and roughly ten years to reach 500,000 units of manufacturing.
What will BMW use in place of the i3?
In the first half of 2022, the BMW Group sold 75,891 fully electric cars under the BMW and Mini brands globally. Accordingly, the Group’s BEV sales increased by more than 110.3% when compared to the same time in 2017.
Is the BMW i3’s maintenance pricey?
Cost of a replacement BMW i3 battery On eBay, a battery pack for a BMW i3 that had a capacity of 22 kWh at one point but is now only about 17.14 kWh is going for $2,500. This works out to about $145 per kWh. According to BMW, replacing an i3 battery would cost roughly $16,000 in 2016.
Why is the BMW i3 a hit?
Then, in June 2021, it was made public that BMW intended to stop selling the i3 in the US as early as July 2022, which is the current confirmed end-of-production date for the model. Nomenclature-wise, the end of the i3 is also intriguing: China will introduce an all-electric BMW 3 Series, which might be given the i3 moniker.