Forget everything you knew about the old BMW i3 — that quirky carbon-bodied city pod that looked like it came from a Scandinavian furniture catalogue. Munich has gone back to the drawing board, binned the recycled plastics and skinny tyres, and rebooted the i3 nameplate for something entirely new: a proper, full-fat electric 3 Series. And it’s coming to take back the crown.
Yes, ladies and gents, the BMW i3 is back — but this time it’s a sleek, 500-mile saloon that promises sheer driving pleasure, in the words of BMW boss Oliver Zipse. This isn’t a retro badge revival. This is BMW signalling that the EV era has finally grown up.
The Neue Klasse Awakens
The new i3 is the first saloon from BMW’s ambitious Neue Klasse family — a lineup that will redefine the brand by 2027 with 40 new EVs and next-gen combustion cars sharing a futuristic design DNA.
If you caught the Vision Neue Klasse concept back in 2023, you’ve already seen the clues: those chiselled lines, the minimalist surfaces, and that reimagined kidney grille that looks like it’s been designed by Tony Stark. The production i3 tones down the sci-fi just enough to look boardroom-ready — yet futuristic enough to make the old 3 Series look like a flip phone.
Underneath, it rides on BMW’s new Gen6 EV platform, shared with the upcoming iX3 SUV. It’s a bespoke setup built for speed, efficiency, and—dare we say it—soul.
The Heart of Joy
BMW has poured its engineering essence into something it calls the Heart of Joy — a centralised computing brain that unites every aspect of the driving experience. Steering, throttle, suspension, braking, even energy recuperation — all choreographed in real time by one digital maestro.
In plain English? The i3 promises to drive like a real BMW, not just another overgrown laptop on wheels. BMW’s engineers have spent countless nights trying to make this EV feel like a petrol 3 Series: sharp, responsive, balanced. The regen and braking systems now work together so seamlessly that 98% of stopping is handled by the motors themselves.
Zipse says it’ll deliver “sheer driving pleasure.” For once, that might not be marketing fluff.
Power to the People (Who Can Afford One)
The launch model, likely badged i3 50 xDrive, will use a dual-motor setup with 464bhp and 479lb ft of torque drawn from a 108kWh NMC battery. That’s good for a range of more than 500 miles — potentially the longest of any EV sold in the UK.
Charging? Thanks to an 800V architecture, the i3 will gulp electrons at up to 400kW, meaning you can add serious range in less time than it takes to drink your flat white.
The rivals are obvious: a Mercedes C-Class EV, an Audi A4 e-tron, and of course Tesla and the ever-aggressive Chinese upstarts from BYD and Xpeng. But if BMW nails the dynamics, none of them will stand a chance.
Inside the Electric Business Class
Inside, the i3 is pure Neue Klasse: minimalist yet unmistakably BMW. The Panoramic iDrive system merges a sweeping, angled touchscreen with a futuristic AR-style head-up display that stretches the entire width of the windscreen. All the data you need sits right in your eyeline, so you can keep your eyes on the next corner rather than the next menu.
It’s clean, it’s modern, and it feels like someone finally made a digital interface that doesn’t require a PhD in menu navigation.
A New M3 Is Coming… and It’s Electric
And just when you think BMW’s gone soft, there’s this bombshell: an electric M3 is coming in 2028. Yes, really. Expect quad motors, torque vectoring wizardry, and a power output that’ll make the current M3 CS look like it’s running on AA batteries. M boss Frank van Meel says it’ll be the most powerful M car ever built — and if you’ve seen early prototypes, it’s not bluff.
BMW’s EV transformation isn’t about blending in. It’s about taking the fight to Tesla — with grip, grunt, and German precision.
From City Car to Corner Carver
The original i3 was an eco-experiment — brilliant in its own weird way but never a true 3 Series. This new one? It’s a 3 Series first, electric second. And that’s the biggest statement BMW could make right now.
With a 500-mile range, sports-saloon poise, and a design language that finally looks confident in the EV era, the i3 is shaping up to be the most important BMW since the original E21 3 Series in 1975.
The name might be recycled, but the mission is brand new: to prove that driving joy and electricity can finally coexist.
Source: BMW