BMW finally retires the i3

The Munich-based car manufacturer BMW has announced, according to a report by Automobilwoche, that it will produce its all-electric compact car i3 in Leipzig only until June and then stop production. According to the group's view, the avant-garde-designed electric pioneer, also known as the Mega City Vehicle, should be succeeded by the electric Mini and the planned iX1, which feature comparatively conventional concepts based on multi-drive platforms.

The i3 began production in 2013 and, after initially very cautious demand, still became a success produced in a quantity of 250,000 models with dedicated fans. Financially, however, the overambitiously designed, almost entirely recyclable carbon compact with the aluminum chassis and plastic body was more of a loss-making business. Two billion euros are said to have flowed into development and series production, significantly more than is usual for a conventional model. Above all, the expensive carbon construction threw the cost calculations off balance, and the whole concept is also considered inflexible.

Declared prematurely as failed - early i4 canceled

In the meantime, the i3 was considered a failure, and the team specially founded with the task of developing a sustainable city vehicle "without taboo thinking" was dissolved. Project manager Ulrich Kranz is now driving the development of the legendary Apple Car for Apple. Original plans to promptly follow up with an i4, which would have addressed a broader clientele in the mid-range segment, were canceled. The business with combustion models was running well anyway. Moreover, they wanted to extend the business model with plug-in hybrid vehicles, an environmentally controversial technology that was massively promoted.

The fact that the i3 was not discontinued as early as 2019 is also due to its importance for fleet emission limits, which he complied with. Moreover, the vehicle, which started early in the still underdeveloped e-car market, reached unanticipated heights and recorded increasing demand of 5.4 percent in the ninth sales year, thus finally rolling into the black.

New BMW boss draws a line - and remains skeptical about electricity

Above all, the new BMW CEO Oliver Zipse is considered a skeptic when it comes to drive transformation and explicitly rejects, for example, a ban on internal combustion engines. He still wants to further develop combustion and diesel cars. A complete electric transformation is also lacking in charging stations and renewable electricity. Nevertheless, brands such as Mini and Rolls Royce are to be fully electrified within ten years. In the i3 plant in Leipzig, the Mini Countryman, among others, planned to have an electric version, could fill the gap.