BMW i3 to go out of production in July 2022

UPDATE, January 28, 2022: The end is near for BMW's first electric vehicle, as overseas reports confirm production will end this year.

According to British publication Autocar, a BMW spokesperson has said the final i3 will roll off the Leipzig production line in July, as no direct successor is in the frame to take the i3's place.

Instead, the place of BMW's entry-level EV will be taken by the iX1, its rear-wheel-drive fully-electric version of the X1 SUV, while the second-generation Mini Electric is set to become the smallest EV in the BMW Group's range from 2023.

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The story to here

July 2, 2021: The first BMW to go EV and adopt the 'i' badge will be going out of production in just a few months' time, coming to the end of its eight-year life cycle.

According to BMW Blog, dealers in the US have been notified of the plans to phase out the i3's production from this month as only 180 production slots remain.

Winner of the 2014 Wheels Car of the Year award, the i3 range was last given an update in 2018 when the i3s arrived in Australia, a more performance-oriented version of the base car.

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BMW i3 range-extender

Originally launching in 2013 alongside the i8 sports car (which ended production last year), the i3 was BMW's first vehicle to be built on a carbon-fibre frame, available either as a full EV or a range-extended EV with a two-cylinder petrol motor onboard – both fitted with a 60Ah battery which could allow a range of 130km and 240km respectively.

Range was increased with the addition of a 94Ah, and later a 120Ah battery pack, allowing a maximum driving range of 310km in the range-extended model under WLTP testing.

In October last year, BMW announced its 200,000th i3 had rolled off the production line, with the now final-generation vehicle making 125kW in i3 guise as the i3s scored a 10kW boost.

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BMW i3 and BMW i8

Despite success in Europe and award-winning credentials, the i3's popularity has dwindled in Australia, as sales dropped to just 55 units in 2020, down from 96 in 2019 – and with only 23 sold at the end of May this year.

If there's a legacy for the i3, it was a ground-breaking vehicle from a manufacturer which had never previously dipped its toes into the EV market on such a scale, doing so before the world had truly embraced the move towards electrification.

Off the back of the i3 and i8, BMW is now planning more electric-only vehicles, with the i4 four-door set to arrive early next year and provide an alternative to the internal combustion-engine-powered 3 Series and 4 Series. It also has the new iX SUV and the X3-based iX3 SUV.

BMW Australia has been contacted for comment.