BMW The All-new Neue Klasse BMW i3 Sedan


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The new BMW i3. Second model of the Neue Klasse.

The BMW 3 Series is the essence of the BMW brand. For five decades, this icon has stood for sporty driving pleasure, unmistakably attractive design and consistent progress. A legacy to which every generation of the BMW 3 Series is committed. The new, fully electric BMW i3 enhances the familiar character of the BMW 3 Series with additional, unique features.

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As the second model in the Neue Klasse, it represents a technological quantum leap into a new era. The first all-electric BMW 3 Series launches as the BMW i3 50 xDrive, which has an electric motor on both the front and rear axles. The combined system power output is 345 kW/469 hp1, the maximum torque is 645 Nm.1 The highly efficient sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology, together with the new BMW Panoramic iDrive and Heart of Joy, delivers driving pleasure on a level never experienced before. With BMW Symbiotic Drive, the assisted driving experience is also entering a new era. The BMW i3 also stands for a modern interpretation of the hallmark design features of a BMW Sedan.

As a representative of the new design language, the new BMW i3 is immediately recognisable as a BMW 3 Series – assured, dynamic and intelligent. The hallmark BMW sporty silhouette proportions are reflected in the new 2.5-box design. Notable features are the long wheelbase, the greenhouse that slopes towards the rear and the short overhangs. The four-eyed face is familiar, yet still new. The BMW radiator grille and twin headlights merge into an innovative light signature, creating a powerful and expressive unit. The rear end, featuring prominently horizontal rear lights, further highlights precision and technological progress. The prominently flared wheel arches emphasise the sporty, wide stance of the new BMW i3. The interior offers a high level of spaciousness and makes full use of all the possibilities of the vehicle concept, which is consistently geared towards electromobility. At the same time, the interior represents driver-oriented sportiness. The new BMW Panoramic iDrive not only defines the modern and inviting interior, but also ushers in a new level of hallmark BMW driver orientation.

Sportiness and driving pleasure are invariably embedded in the DNA of the BMW 3 Series. The new BMW i3 sets new standards. Maximising the unmatched capabilities of electromobility, it offers impressively precise, effortless, and assured handling. The Heart of Joy high-performance computer shapes the BMW i3 driving experience. Its responses are ten times faster than in previous systems. Together with three other superbrain high-performance computers, the Heart of Joy forms the centrepiece of the new software and electronics architecture.

The new BMW i3 stands out for its excellent suitability for long journeys. Its range is up to 900 kilometres1 (in accordance with the WLTP test cycle). DC charging capacities of up to 400 kW also drastically reduce charging times. The DC fast charger can recharge energy for up to 400 km1 in 10 minutes (in accordance with ISO 12906 in the WLTP cycle). Sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology provides the prerequisites for this rapid progress. It comprises highly efficient electric motors, 800-volt technology and new high-voltage batteries with new round cells. The cell-to-pack design used enables high energy densities at pack level and a flatter high-voltage battery. The BMW i3 also features the bidirectional charging functions Vehicle-to-Load (optional AC charging Professional required), Vehicle-to-Home and Vehicle-to-Grid charging functions.

The BMW i3 is manufactured at the BMW Group plant in Munich, which is the home plant of the BMW Group. For more than a hundred years, the plant in Milbertshofen, in the north of Munich, has been producing premium vehicles. Over the last four years, the plant has seen significant modernisation: Alongside a new body shop, a cutting-edge vehicle assembly area incorporating logistics space has been constructed. The new buildings are in their final stages of expansion. Production of the new BMW i3 will start in these halls from August 2026. The first vehicles will be delivered from autumn this year. One year later, the production portfolio will be switched to exclusively fully electric vehicles of the Neue Klasse. The plant conversion includes a large number of modernisation measures.

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More to follow...
 
The only BMW with ugly door shutlines are the E36 sedan/touring/compact
The E36 sedan's shutlines were part of its personality, used with the purpose of being visible and thus defining the design, being quite noticeable with a specific shape, a unique characteristic of the model, which highlights its modernity to this day.
 
BMW is China's bitch.
So sad.

This i3L they can keep right there. Stretched completely out of its original proportions.

These LWB vehicles based on "standard" wheelbase versions never seem to work for me. This also applies to the NA0 i3 sedan. Which IMHO is so compelling.

But that color is jawdropping.
 
Arguably a bit of an "en vogue thing" back in the "mid 1980´s through late 1990´s" day...

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It was even a new "revolutionary" form of manufacturing after 100 years of roof gutters; advances in sealing materials allowed them to be eliminated, and incidentally also the chrome, making it possible to take advantage of this detail and highlight it, which made them look ultramodern in comparasion by extending the top line of the door all the way to the roof.
 
The side profile of this car is probably among the best in the market right now. It puts the rest of BMW sedans to shame.

An epitome of enduring, functionally minimalistic automotive design. It's impact is destined to be resounding. Not only for BMW AG. Developed with proverbial eyes sharply focused forwards. The perceived elements of nostaligia (the very designation "Neue Klasse") are so subtely nuanced they do not diminish the value of the design paradigm.
 
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This is the NK i3's older brother. Very similar profile, the E36 almost has a BEV like design to it in sedan guise.
i really like the side of the i3 very much which makes me very optimistic about the upcoming ICE 3er which I believe will look killer
 
Now that Mercedes has unveiled the C-Class EV it's interesting to compare the exterior dimensions of the cars, if I knew the weight of the i3 then could have added this in. The Mercedes is quite a bit bigger than the BMW.

Length: BMW i350- 4760mm, Mercedes C400 - 4883mm
Width: BMW i350- 1865mm, Mercedes C400 - 1892mm
Height: BMW i350- 1480mm, Mercedes C400 - 1503mm
Wheelbase: BMW i350- 2897mm, Mercedes C400 - 2962mm
Front track: BMW i350- 1606mm, Mercedes C400 - 1641mm
Rear Track: BMW i350- 1614mm, Mercedes C400 - 1620mm
Minimum Turning Circle: BMW i350- 12.1m, Mercedes C400 - 11.2m
 
BMW and Mercedes are going for a 1-2 knockout punch to the market with all 4 of these models debuting so close to each other.

M
 
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