BMW i3 To Get Neue Klasse Successor

Oct. 17, 2023 3:00 PM ET bySebastian Cenizo Electric Vehicles /4 Comments

An entry-level electric Bimmer is coming, and it will be nothing like its forebear.

BMW development director Frank Weber has revealed that the German automaker is exploring the possibility of a new entry-level EV based on the Neue Klasse architecture, reportsAutomobilwoche. BMW has been down the small, electrified city car route before with the i3, but this new attempt at capturing the compact car segment won't make the same mistakes. While the i3 was immensely popular in Europe, it did not have the range, handling ability, or appeal that Americans expected of the brand. After nine years of lukewarm sales in the US, thefinal global example was produced in Julylast year.

With that in mind, is there any value in revisiting the concept of a small EV? Yes, and not only because the i3 was immensely popular in other countries. With a base price of $52,000, theBMW i4is the current cheapest BMW EV on sale in the US, and that's not everyone's cup of tea. We expect a new i3 to arrive at under 50 grand, but how much under remains to be seen.

当被问及the i3 could get a successor using Neue Klasse architecture, Weber responded: "We attach great importance to offering customers the best possible access to the BMW brand. That's why we're thinking very carefully about how this access to BMW can be created in the Neue Klasse family. That can be interpreted as a yes."

Weber was quick to point out that things have changed fundamentally since the i3 arrived on sale.

"The i3 originally had a completely different mission," noted Weber. "In 2013, the electrification of the automotive industry was just beginning, and hardly anyone in the industry really believed that it would come so quickly. Back then, the i3 was intended to demonstrate that electromobility could work."

2018-2021 BMW i3 Hatchback Rear View Driving

The i3 was more of a proof of concept than a car built to make a profit, and as Weber is aware, "these days [of EV apprehension] are over; electromobility is now firmly anchored." Basically, BMW is not considering the past failures of the i3 (in some markets) as a deterrent against a new baby EV.

The Neue Klasse architecture will enable massive cost savings across the entire BMW i portfolio, and coupled with greater customer acceptance of EVs, the risk in developing an i3 replacement is low, especially if it takes a new approach. And it will.

"Many people liked [the i3], but in the eyes of others, it wasn't a real BMW. A bit of an outsider in the school class, if you will. We will not repeat this form," promised Weber. "But there is undoubtedly a need to bring an affordable, compact offering from BMW to the market." This contrasts slightly with comments from BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec, who previously told us a small Neue Klasse EV would be theideal toy for the rich.

Hopefully, that won't mean 60 grand for a top-tier model, as is the casewith the combustion-powered X1.

Worldwide, the i3 was sold in 74 countries between 2013 and 2022, with over 250,000 units sold. Versions sold without a range extender offered a total of 153 miles of range, while those with the 0.6-liter two-cylinder gas engine aboard could go up to around 200 miles, and we can expect far more from the new version, as well as other EVs that arrive on the Neue Klasse platform.

Weber says that existing top-tier EVs will gain 30% more range when built on Neue Klasse underpinnings, and even if we use the discontinued i3 range extender variant's estimate as a baseline, that means 260 miles. We'd bet on 300 miles of range for this new model, minimum.

Weber is aware that not all EV buyers need outrageous range, and big batteries increase an automaker's carbon footprint. Thus, we are quietly confident that the i3 successor won't be large, heavy, or wildly expensive.

When could this arrive? All Weber would say is that, in the first two years of Neue Klasse, four more vehicles will launch. Expect an i3 replacement sometime before 2030.

BMW i3 To Get Neue Klasse Successor

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