Revolutionary i3 enters series production
BMW has officially started series production of the electric i3 sedan at Plant Munich in Germany. Essentially the electric version of the next 3 Series, the i3 is also the second Neue Klasse model after the iX3 and one of BMW’s most important new cars. After all, the 3 Series remains the best-selling BMW model of all time, despite high demand for the automaker’s SUVs. With the start of i3 production, the company also announced that its home plant will produce only EVs from 2027.
BMW i3 Production: A New Era For The 3 Series
With its new, cleaner design language and reimagined driver’s cockpit, the i3 paves the way for the new gas-powered 3 Series. The current G20 3 Series has been in production since 2018, so a successor is expected sooner rather than later.
BMW says that demand for the new i3 has been strong since the order books opened in June, although specific order numbers were not shared. The high demand follows a similarly enthusiastic response to the related iX3 SUV, which was seeing more orders this year than the gas-powered X3.
“The start of production of the BMW i3 heralds a new era for our main plant. With the fully electric BMW i3, we are bringing together what belongs together: the 3 Series embodies BMW more than almost any other model – and Plant Munich represents our brand more than almost any other production site,” said Raymond Wittman, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Production.
From 2027, Plant Munich will only produce electric cars, including upcoming Neue Klasse models. For this reason, production of the next 3 Series will move to Dingolfing, a town in Bavaria, Germany.
Related: This is Your First Look at the New Gas-Fed BMW 3 Series
BMW i3 Reaches America In 2027
BMW
The new BMW i3 will hit showrooms in the U.S. in 2027. It will initially be available in 50 xDrive guise, which pairs dual motors producing 463 horsepower with an all-wheel-drive system. It will adopt the same 800-volt technology and ultra-fast DC charging speeds of up to 400 kW, as found in the iX3. But the i3 sedan has an even better range, with BMW’s estimate at 440 miles.
The i3’s battery will be produced at a different factory, that being the new BMW Group Plant Irlbach-Strasskirchen. The Gen6 motors, meanwhile, are manufactured in Austria. BMW says it has applied a “stringent zero-defects” approach to producing the car’s high-voltage batteries, with strict quality controls in place.
Why It Matters
BMW
The BMW i3 must succeed. The public’s reception to this sedan will set the tone for the gas-powered 3 Series that arrives later; unlike the electric iX3 and gas X3, the i3 and 3 Series are expected to share largely similar designs.
The 3 Series has already survived major technological revolutions that many loyalists feared would erode the driver-focused heart of the car. That includes adopting turbocharged power, switching to four-cylinder power for base models and electric power steering across the range, and the discontinuation of the manual transmission below the M3.
The i3 era represents the most dramatic shift away from the 3 Series as we know it, but we’ll have to wait until next year to find out how warmly Americans embrace it.
Related: BMW’s First Electric 3 Series Wagon Spied For The First Time
