BMW hasn’t shown up yet. But someone already did the job for them. Leaked spy shots, cross-referenced with the hyper-realistic renderings by digital artist sugardesign, who clearly has access to something beyond pure imagination — deliver a surprisingly sharp picture of what the next-generation BMW i3 will look like. And not just the sedan. The i3 Touring wagon is apparently coming too, which would be a genuine first for BMW in this segment.
The design language is pure Neue Klasse, the stylistic signature that Munich has been stamping on everything lately. The reinterpreted kidney grille merges with all-new headlights featuring a claw-shaped LED signature. The front bumper gets a wide central air intake flanked by two vertical side intakes, the hood sits lower and leaner, the roofline cleaner, the door handles flush. Out back, taillights drawing inspiration from the X6 and XM, a redesigned bumper, a diffuser, and either a four-door sedan trunk or a five-door Touring tailgate.
Whether the i3 Touring debuts alongside the sedan or follows a few weeks later remains officially unconfirmed. BMW hasn’t said a word, so for now we’re navigating between spy shots, renders, and educated guesses. What does seem certain is that the two versions will arrive in close succession, a matter of weeks or months apart at most.
Under the skin, the 50 xDrive configuration is expected to mirror the mechanicals of the iX3 bearing the same name: 456 HP, 644 lb-ft of torque, zero to 60 mph in under five seconds, and a WLTP-rated range of up to 500 miles courtesy of the 108.7 kWh battery pack. Numbers that, if confirmed, would place the i3 aggressively in one of the most brutally competitive segments right now.
What sugardesign has pulled off is, within the limits of working without official blueprints, remarkably believable. Some proportions may shift before production. But as an exercise in anticipation, it’s convincing.
