![]() ![]() I guess the car's expensive construction and unique assembly process meant that it was not going to form the basis of a series of BMW EVs but I do believe BMW missed their early start advantage. Without doubt a modern day classic - a car every car enthusiast should drive if they are not going to own. The easiest ever car to drive, superbly built and needless to say extremely refined. So far ahead of its time when launched and other than its somewhat limited range (overcome by the REx engine) it is still very competitive. The latter is a car that I cannot foresee ever parting with as it is such fun to drive and such a fantastic everyday car - although I know that the rear doors can be a bone of contention. Now, though, looking back at the i3 and how it’s evolved since its 2014 debut, it not only seems like a much better car but it also seems like it could be one of the best BMWs of all time. After a long succession of 3 Series and MINI's I have owned two - a 2015 REx and a 2018 s REx. I know Autocar is the magazine for petrolheads but, as evidenced by the comments below, the i3 is a car loved by so many car enthusiasts. The spearhead of BMW’s electric car initiative, the rear-wheel-drive i3 was initially sold with the choice of a single-motor electric drivetrain or a range extender (REx) drivetrain, combining a 647cc two-cylinder petrol motorcycle engine and an electric motor. In both cases, it used a 22.2kWh lithium ion battery and developed maximum power of 168bhp. It is set to be produced at a new Spotlight Automotive factory that's currently under construction in Zhangjiagang, China. The new Mini model, due out in early 2023, is being developed in a joint venture between BMW and Chinese car maker Great Wall Motors called Spotlight Automotive. However, delays in construction to the greenfield site mean the i3 successor will now be produced at BMW’s Regensburg factory until 2024, according to Autocar sources.Īs with the next X1 and new Mini Countryman, the new entry-level i model is based on BMW’s FAAR platform – a move that also signals the end of production for the aluminium-intensive DriveLife platform that underpins the i3.Īs well as the iX1, BMW says it will rely on a new second-generation version of the Mini Electric to fill the void left by the departure of the i3. The quirky hatchback, with its rear-hinged rear doors and expensive carbonfibre construction, will be indirectly replaced in the line-up by the BMW iX1, an electric version of the third-generation BMW BMW X1. The five-seat crossover, set to launch this year, was originally planned to be produced at a new manufacturing facility in Debrecen, Hungary. BMW concept hints at recyclable four-seat EV for 2040.Inside the industry: was the BMW i3 too ahead of its time?.That optional range extender (REx for short) is used solely to power a generator that delivers electricity to the battery and. Farewell, BMW i3: how EV changed the face of motoring DON'T MISS: The '1,000-MPG' BMW i3: 56,000 miles on 50 gallons of gas.
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