German customers look into the tube

At BMW, the cult Stromer i3 is over. But now at least the name should return. The Bavarians have now presented a new electric car as the i3, an electric version of the BMW 3 Series. But you only want to bring it to a certain market, German customers get nothing.

BMW presents new i3: E-car is only offered in China

The i3 as we know it so far is over, in the summer BMW will stop producing the idiosyncratic electric car. However, it has now been announced that there will be a new vehicle under this name. This has hardly anything in common with the first namesake. Instead of a new edition of the small i3 the 3 Series BMW will have an electric drive.

The full length is called BMW i3 eDrive35L and is based in many respects on the classic 3 Series with a combustion engine. This makes it ideal for the Chinese market and its customers, where the 3 Series is well received, explains BMW. And that’s exactly where, in China, the electric 3 Series should also be offered exclusively, not anywhere else therefore also not in Germany (Source: bmw).

What distinguishes the i3 from the combustion version is, among other things, the longer wheelbase, an increase of 11 cm should provide more space in the rear. The battery comes with a Net capacity of 66.1 kWh Therefore, and with a maximum of 95 kW, it can be charged neither incomparably quickly nor too slowly.

BMW specifies the range as 526 km according to the Chinese test standard. According to the tougher WLTP standard, this value should not be maintained. No information has yet been given on the price. According to the previous classification of the 3 Series in the BMW portfolio, it should be in a class with Tesla’s Model 3.

BMW recently drew attention to its new electric cars with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger:

BMW remains firm: That’s why German customers have to do without

Inside, BMW wants to focus on more comfort and customization. The only question that remains is: Why isn’t this also available for German customers? The reason is simple: BMW has no need to offer the cheaper 3 Series as an electric version on the German market. The bigger brother i4 is popular in this country, you don’t see a gap for the electric 3 Series: “The BMW i4 is in such high demand that it’s not an issue here,” said a spokesman (source: Ecomento).