Even if the inventive little BMW i3 has been on life support for some time, it is nevertheless difficult to accept BMW’s news that production has come to a stop.
Yes, the i3 has officially died eight and a half years after its debut. Just a few days ago, according to BMW, the 250,000th copy was produced in Leipzig, and the last ten vehicles received a special HomeRun edition specification.
The HomeRun variants come with 20-inch wheels, new Frozen Dark Grey or Frozen Red II paint finishes, and practically every i3 option imaginable. It sounds like certain component bins needed to be cleaned out. That entails a heated leather instrument panel, wireless charging, a rear-view camera, an electric glass roof, adaptive LED headlights, heated leather seats in “Vernasca Dark Truffle,” a Harman Kardon speaker system, and more.
In This Article...
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.
BMW will discontinue producing the i3 in July.
In July 2022, BMW will stop making the i3 in Leipzig. This is most likely due to the plant’s changeover to the production of upcoming electric vehicles.
According to a manufacturing representative quoted in the British magazine Autocar, production has come to an end. As a result, the information can be regarded as fact and not as conjecture. Oliver Zipse, the CEO of BMW, continued to say that the i3 would be produced in Leipzig through 2024 in December 2019. It was still believed at the time that the i3 will get another model update to make it marketable by 2024. An earlier end is now more plausible because such an update did not occur.
The i3’s now-apparently-early demise coincides with the Leipzig plant’s restructuring in the second half of 2022 in anticipation of the start of production of the new generation Mini Countryman, which, according to reports, will also be produced at the Leipzig BMW plant starting in 2023 with a pure electric drive. The production facilities for the Countryman will need to be rebuilt using BMW’s FAAR front-wheel drive architecture because the i3 is based on a stand-alone platform with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber passenger cell.
Because the iX1 electric variant of the new X1 will debut later this year, the BMW i3 is also being phased out. Originally, a new production facility in Debrecen, Hungary, was going to be used to construct the iX1. It will now be manufactured at the BMW facility in Regensburg until 2024 as a result of construction delays, according to Autocar. Despite being around 40 centimeters longer than the i3, the interior space of the iX1 is comparable to that of the i3 thanks to its combustion engine base. Because of this, and despite the iX1’s unusual body concept, BMW intends to present it as a sort of successor.
In October 2021, the i3, which was introduced in 2013, has reached 200,000 units produced. BMW anticipates producing 250,000 copies of the i3 by the time it is retired in July 2022. The 2018 battery update to 42.2 kWh gross resulted in a steady rise in the number of i3 registrations. The nine-year-old model still registered 12,178 new vehicles in Germany in 2021, placing it 10th among all electric vehicles, ahead of the Opel Corsa-e, Audi e-tron, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
The fate of the BMW i3 had already been the subject of numerous rumors. In response to rumors concerning the model’s future at the end of 2019, Zipse has indicated, as previously reported, that production of the i3 would “continue beyond 2024.” 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. In terms of naming, the demise of the i3 is also intriguing: A completely electric BMW 3 Series will be introduced in China, and it may carry the i3 moniker.
The forthcoming iX1 SUV will replace BMW’s long-lasting i3.
After nine years of production, BMW has declared that the i3 is no longer being made, putting an end to the inventive and long-lasting little electric car.
Just a few weeks after the model reached a production run of more than a quarter of a million, the final i3 came off the production line in Leipzig, Germany. Ten units of the i3 HomeRun Edition, an ultra-exclusive special edition model with the company’s “Frozen paint finish,” have been ordered to commemorate the event.
The i3 was originally seen by the public in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011, and when the production vehicle was introduced in 2013, it substantially resembled the show-car design.
The upright proportions, glass tailgate, two-tone paint job, and dipping shoulder line all deviated from the typical BMW design cues that customers had grown accustomed to. It launched BMW’s new I sub-brand, which was one of the factors contributing to the bizarre appearance (along with the i8 sports car).
Rear-hinged doors are always interesting, and they undoubtedly contributed to the i3’s personality, along with the interior. The technology was updated over the course of its existence to keep it feeling modern. The interior itself featured a low dash and window line for a light and airy atmosphere.
A custom platform made of a combination of aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber is positioned below the i3 to keep weight at just over a tonne. Due to the lack of weight, the vehicle’s ultimate fully-electric design had a maximum range of 190 miles.
The UK’s police, fire, and ambulance services all adopted the i3 due to its popularity with emergency services.
There won’t be a direct replacement for the i3, and a completely electric version of the 3 Series saloon is anticipated to receive the i3 badge. The iX1, an electric variant of the new X1 SUV, will be the company’s entry-level EV model.
The i3 is being retired, according to BMW, because customers want larger EVs.
The BMW i3 is approaching a well-deserved retirement after nine years on the market and more than 200,000 units produced. Even though the news wasn’t unexpected, it’s nevertheless disappointing to learn that the oddball EV won’t be around after July. Due to its early years’ dismal sales, the little hatch was introduced prior to the electric boom. Well, the absence of government subsidies for electric vehicles also contributed.
While the first half of a vehicle’s life cycle is typically when sales are at their peak, this wasn’t the case for the i3. In order to keep up with the high demand, BMW decided to extend the model’s production life. Although all good things must come to an end, you might say that it aged like a wonderful wine. Why is the business cutting the power right now?
Customers’ preferences have changed, and they are now searching for different features while buying EVs. Particularly, the usual consumer prefers a larger, more useful vehicle than the i3. That is the justification offered by a BMW representative in an interview with the sister website of Automotive News in Germany, Automobilwoche. However, it’s not the only one.
The firm official continued by stating that electric automobiles should appear “natural” in the sense that they should resemble models powered by combustion engines. That’s definitely not the case with the i3, though. The little hatchback maintains the impression of having come back from the future even though any other 2013 vehicle would appear to be more or less antiquated.
According to Automobilwoche, “quite a few BMW personnel” have considered the external design to be divisive, mostly because of the unusual shape. The styling has reportedly “deterred many customers.” Whether i3 has generated any money with the EV and its range-extending equivalent is still an open question.
Since BMW shaped them like conventional automobiles, the other EVs don’t have the same “issue” with their designs as the i3. The same will apply to the 7 Series/i7 and 5 Series/i5 couples. Design-wise, the i3’s indirect replacements, the iX1 and MINI Countryman EV, won’t upset the apple cart. Additionally, the BMW representative thinks that because the two are significantly larger and hence more spacious than the i3, they might potentially generate substantially higher sales than the i3.
After eight years, manufacture of the BMW i3 electric city car comes to an end.
The final BMW i3 electric vehicle has rolled off the assembly line; it will be replaced indirectly by a much more traditional compact electric SUV.
After almost nine years of production, the BMW i3 city car is no longer available, bringing an end to one of the first mass-produced luxury electric cars.
Nearly nine years after manufacturing of the eccentric i3 hatch began in September 2013, the final examples of the vehicle rolled off the assembly line at BMW’s Leipzig plant at the end of June, just days after the 250,000th vehicle was constructed.
Ten i3 HomeRun Edition models were made to commemorate the conclusion of manufacturing. These models were distinguishable by Frozen Dark Grey or Frozen Dark Red II paint, as well as, according to official images, special front grille inserts.
The i3 was BMW’s first contemporary electric vehicle when it was introduced in 2013 and was supported by a custom platform built around a body shell made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and a “skateboard” battery under the floor.
The electric version of the BMW i3 was debuted with a 60 amp-hour (or 18.3 kilowatt-hour, kWh) battery paired to a 125kW rear electric motor, with a stated range of 190 kilometers. It was developed alongside the hybrid i8 sports car as part of BMW’s “Project i.”
Priced from $63,900 plus on-road expenses when it was introduced in Australia in late 2014, it ranked third among small hatchbacks for sale in terms of price, after the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG and the BMW M135i hot hatchbacks.
For $69,900, the i3 ‘REx’ range-extender, which added a little 647cc two-cylinder motorbike engine for when the battery runs out and increased total driving range approaching 250km, was available alongside the pure EV for customers who needed extra range.
Sales of the BMW i3 peaked in Australia in 2015 with 150 sales, then fell off in 2016 and had their second-best performance in 2017 with 118 vehicles, which coincided with a battery update to 27kWh (94Ah), increasing the EV’s stated range to 300km on a charge (a lenient measurement).
The faster i3s variant was debuted in 2018 thanks to a stylistic upgrade. It has greater power, a lower sports suspension, and wider (and one-inch larger) wheels. In 2019, a larger-still 38kWh battery emerged with a stated range of 330 km (or 250km in the real world).
The range-extender REx and ordinary i3 electric models had been discontinued by the time the i3’s production in Australia came to an end, leaving just the i3s EV, which started at $71,900 plus applicable taxes.
BMW’s entry into electric vehicles began with the i3, but the corporation is currently in the second phase with the i4, iX3, and iX electric vehicles, as well as the planned i7, i5, and iX1 models.
The ‘Neue Klasse’ electric-only architecture, which will support the replacement for the current 3 Series sedan and wagon as well as the following iX3 midsize SUV, will make its debut in 2025 as the third phase.