[Deho]

Seems like it, according to BMWBLOG:

https://www.bmwblog.com/2021/06/25/b...u-s-this-july/

[soheil]

It had a controversial design but I loved it! And it was super fun to drive! It will be missed.

[Merami fan]

Looking back on it, the i3 was different but not entirely in a bad way. Even if it was mostly made for emissions credits at first, electric BMWs were always an eventuality.

[overcoil]

Two weeks back while I was on the interstate I just focused on all the different car manufacturers designs.
Mostly asian SUV"s in shades of gray or white none which were very appealing and lots of pickup trucks.
Then a black i3 came by. Was so different from everything else on the road in a good way. The i3 struck me as very interesting and I thought the proportions were very coherent, not sure I ever felt the way from pictures. i3 seemed so livable so utilitarian but aesthetically so unique.

[soheil]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Two weeks back while I was on the interstate I just focused on all the different car manufacturers designs.
Mostly asian SUV"s in shades of gray or white none which were very appealing and lots of pickup trucks.
Then a black i3 came by. Was so different from everything else on the road in a good way. The i3 struck me as very interesting and I thought the proportions were very coherent, not sure I ever felt the way from pictures. i3 seemed so livable so utilitarian but aesthetically so unique.

I completely understand what you're saying. It is by no means the best EV in terms of range or tech but considering that it was designed in 2013 it was and still is such a unique car (well it came out in 2013 so design should've started in 2010 or even earlier)!

BMW made a bold move with both i3 and i8, something that they rarely do. I know there is even more controversy about i4 and iX design and I don't want to get into that but it's a shame that it took almost 10 years for BMW to follow i3 and i8 experiment.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by soheil

I completely understand what you're saying. It is by no means the best EV in terms of range or tech but considering that it was designed in 2013 it was and still is such a unique car (well it came out in 2013 so design should've started in 2010 or even earlier)!

BMW made a bold move with both i3 and i8, something that they rarely do. I know there is even more controversy about i4 and iX design and I don't want to get into that but it's a shame that it took almost 10 years for BMW to follow i3 and i8 experiment.

It was designed far earlier, it was released in 2013,
The I brand was founded in 2011 but was in the works way earlier. It takes on average 4 to 6 years to design a new platform depending on complexity and design but the "I"program was actually started in or around 2003 same year Tesla was founded and as it wasn't just a new platform made of steel and aluminum it was a fresh piece of paper on all accounts from platform to materials to drivetrain. And that's not done in just 4 to 6 years.

On all accounts bmw was ahead of curve in its ambition and pushed the limit.

As making carbon fiber available to a mass produced vehicle was at the time not a reality.

It costed billions of dollars and they learned a lot and as the paper said it may be a future classic or just a foot note but I'm happy to have one as it's the only vehicle of its kind and from the looks of it will be for a while.

Technology aside the materials of the car at its core is what makes it special. And their the only ones other than the I8 that has this special way it's built.

[Noggie]

I guess I have said this before, but the i3 is, unfortunately "outdated" in many ways, and with all the new cars on the market the sales will drop.

The good things about the i3, size and practicality, materials used, the fun drive is unfortunately not enough.

I got my 2020 i3 late last year and in the tech department it's lagging behind, it doesn't even have the latest iDrive that BMW have with touch screens, gesture control etc.
All of the competitors have much more advanced infotainment systems, autonomous driving and more safety "gadgets", not to mention range, where most competitors has 1,5-2 times the range.

The i3 will be 10 years old, that s the longest production any BMW have seen in many many years, typically a new model is launched every 7-8 year.

Upgrading the i3 to match the competition is probably not an option.
It makes sense to discontinue the current model.

BMW have new EV's in the line up, and more to come, but none is a direct replacement for the i3, and there does not appear to be one in the future plans.

Sad, but it's how development works I guess.

[MsGoGoMoto]

I just got a 2017 Rex and STILL get people pointing and smiling giving thumbs up lol.
The i4 looks slick, but I want less center console in the front. The i3 is the first car I've ever had that I absolutely can not wait to jump in and drive every day. Literally.. it's weird..

Looking at the i4, it's looking like every other car (a little)
I'll hold off and let the other owners be the first to buy and QC the early i4 model, go through recall hell, be sad when the next year model comes with all the cool stuff. Lol.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by Noggie

I guess I have said this before, but the i3 is, unfortunately "outdated" in many ways, and with all the new cars on the market the sales will drop.

The good things about the i3, size and practicality, materials used, the fun drive is unfortunately not enough.

I got my 2020 i3 late last year and in the tech department it's lagging behind, it doesn't even have the latest iDrive that BMW have with touch screens, gesture control etc.
All of the competitors have much more advanced infotainment systems, autonomous driving and more safety "gadgets", not to mention range, where most competitors has 1,5-2 times the range.

The i3 will be 10 years old, that s the longest production any BMW have seen in many many years, typically a new model is launched every 7-8 year.

Upgrading the i3 to match the competition is probably not an option.
It makes sense to discontinue the current model.

BMW have new EV's in the line up, and more to come, but none is a direct replacement for the i3, and there does not appear to be one in the future plans.

Sad, but it's how development works I guess.

Well here in the USA their was little to no marketing people here still don't know what it is or their like wow I've never seen one before can you tell me more about it?

Then their shocked to learn what's it's about and the materials and whatnot. As a city car it works but as a USA car where people drive an hour to work in the morning it fails because it's not set up for that and it took to long to make the battery large enough to make it viable but to the masses it's the car that only gets 80 mile range and 40 miles in the winter if your lucky.

Heck even Tesla people think it only comes as a REX and they weren't even aware it has a pure BEV version.

Technology? Maybe range but that lies with bmw. They could make it go farther if they wanted. And have self driving as they showed at CES, but by that time they already knew where they where headed and decided to invest elsewhere. But even sitting in new cars I can't find a fault with what it has currently. So even at a 2014 model year it still has a current feeling to it so I would not call it dated.

I sat in the new VW electric and was not really inspired... interior felt ehhhh .....


As far as all the competitors having self driving .....maybe one or some but not all I find the traffic jam assistant gives all the automation I need in Chicago traffic. .

And so what if it doesn't have self driving ? .... I for one will never have that option and also even if I had a Tesla paying 10k dollars for such a feature is crazy ! I don't trust the tech yet and we're developing it for our vehicles as we speak but I'm no test monkey. If I'm gonna hit something I want it to be by my own doing !

The I drive I find to be just fine and actually don't like the new idrive in the newer BMW's it's to busy and not simplistic Enough. I had a new X5 for a few months a while back a found myself missing the older version. Plus having Apple carplay keeps things as current and updated vs using the cars tech. And absolutely hate touch screens as who likes a nasty fingerprints all over the screen ! Drives me nuts.

Not every update or new version of something makes it better.

At the end of the day it was a 60k dollar hatch back (with options) and 80 mile range that hurt it here in the states. If it had not been so expensive and not treated like a black sheep by the dealers here in the states it may have had a different fate with sales.

Also I remember reading this was a project that the old Mrs. Quandt wanted before she left this earth, now that she's gone they have different ideas......

This at the end was a proof of concept and they made it. Not many companies do that sort of thing to the level that bmw did but now it's time to move on and invest in other things moving forward.

If anything I'm happy to have them move on as it means the i3 I have is one of one and won't have a newer model to make it look like an old outdated version with newer technology forcing me to want to upgrade spending another 60k

Plus The batteries are upgradable, the REX can get me from chicago to California without waiting in line at chargers for hours so I can keep moving as the gas tank and my bladder are sinked .....lol. Sorry had to...

But overall I could not be happier with it and don't see the need to change it for years.... and after seeing the IX I can safely say that I'll be enjoying my little pug faced city car for even more years to come without feeling I'm missing out.

The iX is looking a little Toyotaish or something and not having its own identity the side view and proportion kills it for me and Not liking the new BMW's as of late ..... bmw i3 is a bmw i3.... .

.

JMO nothing more .....

[Noggie]

Originally Posted by -c-

JMO nothing more .....

I shortened your reply.

I guess the situation may be different around the world.
Me living in the EV capitol of the world, we have every single EV available on the market.
Looking at the new ones coming in from China, the e-Mustang, Hyundai, Mercedes, Tesla and even BMW's own models that was launched in 2020 and will be launched in the next 12 months.
They all outperform the i3 on range and tech.

Consumers want the "latest and greatest", that is why a lot of people get a new phone every year when Apple bring out a new one.

Cars are the same, the list of "must haves" on an EV is growing and the i3 will, by most consumers, be eliminated when looking at the newer better equipped models.

From a purely business perspective, which is potential sales, the i3 is unfortunately about to become non-competitive, so it makes sense to halt production.

[ovekvam]

Originally Posted by Noggie

Consumers want the "latest and greatest", that is why a lot of people get a new phone every year when Apple bring out a new one.

Cars are the same, the list of "must haves" on an EV is growing and the i3 will, by most consumers, be eliminated when looking at the newer better equipped models.

Except for me. I also live in the EV capitol, but I will buy a new i3S later this year. I prefer fully manual cars that are lightweight and fun to drive. The only tech I'm missing on the i3, is a heated steering wheel. I would also have preferred faster charging than 50 kW.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by Noggie

I shortened your reply.

I guess the situation may be different around the world.
Me living in the EV capitol of the world, we have every single EV available on the market.
Looking at the new ones coming in from China, the e-Mustang, Hyundai, Mercedes, Tesla and even BMW's own models that was launched in 2020 and will be launched in the next 12 months.
They all outperform the i3 on range and tech.

Consumers want the "latest and greatest", that is why a lot of people get a new phone every year when Apple bring out a new one.

Cars are the same, the list of "must haves" on an EV is growing and the i3 will, by most consumers, be eliminated when looking at the newer better equipped models.

From a purely business perspective, which is potential sales, the i3 is unfortunately about to become non-competitive, so it makes sense to halt production.

Yep not arguing that point.


But yea ev's here are still not widely accepted by the masses yet. We really only have Tesla and a few others and nothing really sells out other than the Tesla's.

Nothing from China hits these shores. Not Sure if it's the safety ratings or whatever or just no dealer network but yea we're lacking in ev product.

I know it will come but we're still waiting.

So yea technically the i3 still holds some water here in the states as funny as that is.

I was also just talking about the US market that's why I brought it up.

I have no knowledge of the rest of the world from where I sit.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by ovekvam

Except for me. I also live in the EV capitol, but I will buy a new i3S later this year. I prefer fully manual cars that are lightweight and fun to drive. The only tech I missing on the i3, is a heated steering wheel. I would also have preferred faster charging than 50 kW.

Yep, tech for me is more than electronics. For me material choices and how it's built is also tech to be considered and the i3 shines their.

At the core the i3 could have the latest in tech if bmw wanted to put it in their, but the carbon cell they probably want to move away from. You can shove any tech into a car that's easy. but at it's core you can't change what it's made of.
Here theirs people who have taken a model s and shoved its drivetrain into an S5 and drive it around, kind of funny really.

It's made of a material that will never rust. Living in the salt belt makes that a great plus as even new cars here start rusting just after a few years if your not carful.

Their spraying the roads with brine solution that has shown to be 1000 times more corrosive than road salt. So yea just based off that the i3 is great!

Oh yea and hail proof! We get hail storms here a lot and I love watching them just bounce off the panels knowing that no dings are in my future!!!

Watching the hail storms from the window when my Audi TT was parked was torcher !!!! Those being all aluminum !

[Noggie]

Originally Posted by ovekvam

Except for me. I also live in the EV capitol, but I will buy a new i3S later this year. I prefer fully manual cars that are lightweight and fun to drive. The only tech I'm missing on the i3, is a heated steering wheel. I would also have preferred faster charging than 50 kW.

I have had mine now for 8 months (guess I'm different too) and I have never charged it anywhere than at home on the 11Kw charger.
I do see that the 50Kw may be a bit small these days if you are going on long trips.
45 minute charge time is not too bad though, while other cars have 100-150Kw, they typically have much bigger batteries, making the over all charge time the same.

Originally Posted by -c-

Yep not arguing that point.


But yea ev's here are still not widely accepted by the masses yet. We really only have Tesla and a few others and nothing really sells out other than the Tesla's.

Nothing from China hits these shores. Not Sure if it's the safety ratings or whatever or just no dealer network but yea we're lacking in ev product.

I know it will come but we're still waiting.

So yea technically the i3 still holds some water here in the states as funny as that is.

I was also just talking about the US market that's why I brought it up.

I have no knowledge of the rest of the world from where I sit.

in 2020, 51% of all new cars sold was an EV.
Tesla has a good chunk of the market, the e-Golf was very popular, and the ID.3 & ID.4 is carrying on that legacy.
Hyundai has sold many Ionic's, Skoda's new EnyaqEV is a good competitor to the Audi e-Tron and Mercedes EQC/EQA.
Porsche has sold a lot of their Taycan's here.
Opel (GM) has sold a fair amount of Ampera E's and there is a new Mokka-E that has just released. The French DS has not been a big hit, it looks cool but is lacking the the range/power department.
MG (now Chinese) have sold quite a few cars and there are more Chinese EV's being launched this year.
Mercedes is bringing out the EQS, and Audi just released the e-Tron GT.
BMW has the i4 and iX3 on the market and the larger iX is very close.
Lately the Electric Mustang just arrived and people have been waiting for that for almost a year.

Bottom line, there is probably close to 50 different EV's to choose from today, most are a later generation than the i3.
So unless you are a BMW guy looking for something that is more or less a niche model, the i3 is almost out of the picture.

When I ordered my i3 in September last year, the options where fewer, but if I was in the market today, I think the ID.4 or Skoda EnyaqEV would probably have been high on my list in the reasonable cost range.
I'm contemplating selling both the M5 and the i3 next year and possibly replacing them with a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo or the Mercedes EQS.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by Noggie

I have had mine now for 8 months (guess I'm different too) and I have never charged it anywhere than at home on the 11Kw charger.
I do see that the 50Kw may be a bit small these days if you are going on long trips.
45 minute charge time is not too bad though, while other cars have 100-150Kw, they typically have much bigger batteries, making the over all charge time the same.

in 2020, 51% of all new cars sold was an EV.
Tesla has a good chunk of the market, the e-Golf was very popular, and the ID.3 & ID.4 is carrying on that legacy.
Hyundai has sold many Ionic's, Skoda's new EnyaqEV is a good competitor to the Audi e-Tron and Mercedes EQC/EQA.
Porsche has sold a lot of their Taycan's here.
Opel (GM) has sold a fair amount of Ampera E's and there is a new Mokka-E that has just released. The French DS has not been a big hit, it looks cool but is lacking the the range/power department.
MG (now Chinese) have sold quite a few cars and there are more Chinese EV's being launched this year.
Mercedes is bringing out the EQS, and Audi just released the e-Tron GT.
BMW has the i4 and iX3 on the market and the larger iX is very close.
Lately the Electric Mustang just arrived and people have been waiting for that for almost a year.

Bottom line, there is probably close to 50 different EV's to choose from today, most are a later generation than the i3.
So unless you are a BMW guy looking for something that is more or less a niche model, the i3 is almost out of the picture.

When I ordered my i3 in September last year, the options where fewer, but if I was in the market today, I think the ID.4 or Skoda EnyaqEV would probably have been high on my list in the reasonable cost range.
I'm contemplating selling both the M5 and the i3 next year and possibly replacing them with a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo or the Mercedes EQS.

Yea you guys have a good amount to choose
From.

Here the EV's unless your a lucky few the market doesn't buy em. I was looking at the Jaguar E pace and their trying to sell em for like 40 grand with no miles and that's an 80k dollar vehicle lol


But in my case I don't lease so when I buy a car it's got to be for years to make it worth it. .

So yea a car in my case is not like a cell phone . And even then when I buy a phone I have it for probably 6 or 7 years before I upgrade

[Noggie]

Originally Posted by -c-

Yea you guys have a good amount to choose
From.

Here the EV's unless your a lucky few the market doesn't buy em. I was looking at the Jaguar E pace and their trying to sell em for like 40 grand with no miles and that's an 80k dollar vehicle lol


But in my case I don't lease so when I buy a car it's got to be for years to make it worth it. .

So yea a car in my case is not like a cell phone . And even then when I buy a phone I have it for probably 6 or 7 years before I upgrade

I typically have my cars for 4-5 years, Leasing is not a thing here, most people buy their cars, leasing is a company car thing.
I still have my iPhone XS Max, its been holding up well, I typically changes every 2 years or so when the battery started going bad. Might change it out this years though, when the new ones arrive, I want 5G.

Funny thing is that since EV's are tax exempt, they cost the same as everywhere else in the world. Normal cars are 2-3 times the price here than in the US. This is also why they became so popular, the "value for money" was just too good to be true.
Here is a Tesla S for $70.000, or you can go buy an M5 at $270.000.
You want the new Corvette that will be $290.000 thank you!

I had a look at more regular new US cars for sale here now:
Ford Explorer 3.0 ecoboost - $105.000
Ford F-150 Raptor supercrew - $164.000
Ford F-150 Shelby supersnake - $216.000
Dodge Ram 3.0 Diesel - $134.000
Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ 3.0 Duramax C-cab - $112.000

So for us, EV's are a bargain.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by Noggie

I typically have my cars for 4-5 years, Leasing is not a thing here, most people buy their cars, leasing is a company car thing.
I still have my iPhone XS Max, its been holding up well, I typically changes every 2 years or so when the battery started going bad. Might change it out this years though, when the new ones arrive, I want 5G.

Funny thing is that since EV's are tax exempt, they cost the same as everywhere else in the world. Normal cars are 2-3 times the price here than in the US. This is also why they became so popular, the "value for money" was just too good to be true.
Here is a Tesla S for $70.000, or you can go buy an M5 at $270.000.
You want the new Corvette that will be $290.000 thank you!

I had a look at more regular new US cars for sale here now:
Ford Explorer 3.0 ecoboost - $105.000
Ford F-150 Raptor supercrew - $164.000
Ford F-150 Shelby supersnake - $216.000
Dodge Ram 3.0 Diesel - $134.000
Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ 3.0 Duramax C-cab - $112.000

So for us, EV's are a bargain.

Lol. I have the same phone lol. Yea it's been holding up

I remember our talk last time about leasing and car prices. It's pretty nuts!

I bet you if it was that way here nobody would be driving a petrol driven vehicle.

However their would also be civil war going on !

People
Like their cheap cars! lol

[jmg]

I've had 3 i3's and loved every one of them. I would have loved a 4th when my lease ends next year. The tech isn't as fresh as it was, I agree. It needs a bit more range and with these updates I would have been happy:

1) updated iDrive

2) refreshed interior lighting to include more LED mood lighting with the ability to change the colors like modern BMW's.

3) make the i3s upgrades standard (arches, front and rear bumpers, performance/handling upgrades etc)

4) Bring back Protonic blue or add YMB or Laguna Seca Blue.

Alas, it makes little financial sense for BMW to do any of this. They don't sell well here, but to me that was why I loved them and the discounts they provided lol

[TimeFor]

I've had three i3 rex vehicles. Love them. Nothing quite replaces the i3's size and practicality getting around LA. I'd buy a 4th if it were being made next year. The mini ev just doesn't do it. Its smaller, less range, less practical... that car was a mistake.

Since BMW isn't making a replacement, I'll be leaving the brand for the first time in 20 years. I have reservations for the Rivian R1T and F150 Lighting. Whichever shows up first gets my daily driver money.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by TimeFor

I've had three i3 rex vehicles. Love them. Nothing quite replaces the i3's size and practicality getting around LA. I'd buy a 4th if it were being made next year. The mini ev just doesn't do it. Its smaller, less range, less practical... that car was a mistake.

Since BMW isn't making a replacement, I'll be leaving the brand for the first time in 20 years. I have reservations for the Rivian R1T and F150 Lighting. Whichever shows up first gets my daily driver money.

Yep I'm with you I've been with the brand since 2002 and owned many e30's before that. But their new design language and their new products leaves me cold.

Time for something new.

Kind of liking that new Bronco 2 door to tell you the truth. The high performance wart hog and a possible electric one is going to be offered as well.

With all the new vehicles coming out it's an exciting time to try something different for a bit ! .

[soheil]

It's interesting to see BMW NA Q2 sales figures: https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=27759437

i3 YTD is up 238%!!! Much more than any other bimmer! These numbers are in contrast to the whole narrative that it wasn't selling well enough in the US!

[-c-]

Originally Posted by soheil

It's interesting to see BMW NA Q2 sales figures: https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=27759437

i3 YTD is up 238%!!! Much more than any other bimmer! These numbers are in contrast to the whole narrative that it wasn't selling well enough in the US!

Well you have to take it in context.

If one quarter I sell one car and the next quarter I sell two cars my sales have technically doubled.

But overall it's still 3 cars.


The demand comes and goes but overall the numbers are still low.


Not z4 low but low...