BMW decided it was finally time to stop dragging its feet and give the electric 3 Series a real name. On March 18, the new BMW i3 makes its official debut, becoming the second model in the Neue Klasse electric family, right behind the iX3 SUV. BMW is recycling the i3 badge from its quirky 2010s carbon-fiber experiment.
This isn’t a nostalgia trip. The new i3 is engineered to be a legitimate Tesla Model 3 killer, or at least that’s what the people in Munich are praying for every morning. The design ditches the rounded softness of the current G20 3 Series in favor of sharp, angular lines and a distinctly futuristic minimalism that winks at BMW’s classic heritage without drowning in it. Up front, a full-width illuminated kidney grille graphic, sets the visual tone for the entire Neue Klasse lineup. Sedans get the wide version; SUVs like the iX3 get a taller, narrower take on the same theme.
Under the skin, the launch model is expected to be a 50 xDrive configuration, mirroring the iX3’s setup: 464 HP, 650 Nm of torque, dual motors, and a 108 kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. That combo already pushes the iX3 to a claimed 800 km of range. Slap that same hardware into a more aerodynamic sedan body and you’re potentially looking at the longest-range production EV on the UK market.
The Gen6 platform brings an 800V architecture and charging speeds of up to 400 kW. Inside, the Panoramic iDrive system pairs a tilted touchscreen with a heads-up display that stretches across the entire windshield. BMW calls it smarter. Everyone else calls it “finally catching up.”
Driving dynamics, as always, are non-negotiable in Munich. The i3 runs on a centralized processing architecture that dramatically reduces the number of onboard chips, fewer moving parts, faster reactions. The “Heart of Joy” system unites all driving controls into a single integrated unit, including braking and energy recovery. According to BMW, 98% of all deceleration can be handled by regenerative braking alone.
A Touring wagon variant is confirmed, and the first-ever electric M3 is on track for 2028, with prototypes already spotted in testing. The M3 EV will reportedly use a bespoke four-motor configuration with advanced torque vectoring, making it potentially the most powerful M car ever built. The gas-powered 3 Series isn’t going anywhere either: it’ll carry on with the CLAR architecture, refreshed with Neue Klasse styling and the latest onboard tech.
