BMW i3: a gathering at the museum as a farewell

BMW created a final special edition of the i3, characterized by a gold hue.

After 8 years of production, the time has come for the BMW i3 to bid farewell. To mark the occasion, the German manufacturer has prepared a limited special series of 18 units dressed in a two-tone black/gold livery. Before being delivered to their owner, the vehicles were gathered at the BMW museum in Munich.

Although it was not sold in the millions, the i3 remains a significant model in BMW’s history. Launched in 2013, at a time when the electric market was still in its infancy, it formed a striking duo with the i8 in BMW’s lineup, which was mostly composed of more conventional internal combustion engine cars. It alone occupied the segment of premium city electric cars for much of its career.

In addition to the fully electric version, BMW offered an i3 with a thermal range extender. In 2018, BMW discontinued this technology in Europe. It required updates that were too costly to meet new regulations. Today, the range extender concept no longer appeals to automakers. It also seems less useful on current electric cars, which are equipped with more advanced batteries.

The production of the i3 ceased in June. In total, BMW assembled approximately 250,000 units of this model, which was sold in 74 countries.

No Replacement for the BMW i3

The i3 was not replaced, but the name still exists at BMW. It now designates the electric version of the Series 3, sold in China. In Europe, however, there is no current i3 in the lineup. On the Old Continent, the Bavarian automaker’s electric offerings now include 4 models: the iX3, the iX, the i4, and the new i7.

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