According to the 351st batch of new car announcement directory released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the latest specification and appearance of the BMW i3 have been officially announced. The new BMW i3 abandons the original appearance of a small two-door car and minimalistic and eco-friendly interior design that creates a futuristic feel. When the first generation i3 was released in 2014, it immediately changed people’s perceptions of electric cars. The new i3 now approaches the design of the fuel version of the 3 Series with only minor adjustments made to the exterior and headlights.
The new i3 is produced by BMW Brilliance and the tail badge is e-Drive 35 L. The “L” refers to the elongated version with dimensions of 4,872 x 1,846 x 1,481 mm in length, width, height respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,966 mm. Compared to the long-axis version of the 3 Series, it is slightly larger in terms of the length, width and height, and has a 5 mm increase in wheelbase. It is unknown whether the battery arrangement will have an impact on the interior space. In addition, the curb weight of the new i3 is 2,029 kg, and the total weight is 2,530 kg.
In terms of power, the i3 electric motor has a maximum output power of 250 kW, which is a significant improvement compared to the 190 kW of the 330 Li. Considering that the i3 and i4 are based on the same platform, they may share the same motor and battery parameters, but with differences in calibration.
In terms of exterior options, the i3, like the iX3, can have blue decorative stripes to highlight their i-series identity. The overall exterior decoration also inherits the design style of the i-series family.
In terms of interior design, the new i3 is likely to adopt the same dual-screen as the i4, consisting of a 12.3-inch LCD instrument panel and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen. Of course, the specific configuration parameters still need to be confirmed by BMW’s official announcement.
What’s interesting is that 7 years ago, the i3 that left an impression on us was the small and chubby, unique electric car that stood out on the streets. Whereas today, the i3 is no longer the same youth as before, but has become a medium-sized sedan with four doors and five seats, which is more acceptable to the public in terms of power, endurance, and practicality.
Interestingly, with the launch of the new i3, I wonder if everyone will be confused in the future about which i3 they are referring to in their discussions, just like when we talk about the BMW 2 Series. Are you able to distinguish whether I’m referring to the two-door version, the four-door coupe version, or the touring version of the BMW 2 Series?
Source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)
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