A BMW i3, seen in Beijing in 2019. The Bimmer was looking good in a brown-black paint job with darkened windows. 京Q license plates indicate this is a company-owned car.
The rear-wheel drive BMW i3 was an odd yet technologically advanced five-door hatchback produced from 2013 until 2022. Most of its structure and body were made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). BMW sold two variants: electric vehicle (EV) and extended range electric vehicle (EREV).
BMW sold the i3 in China as an import. It was not made locally. That made it very expensive compared to the locally-made competition. It was therefore a very rare sight on the road. Rarer even than Rolls-Royce. There were times in Beijing that I didn’t bother to photograph the tenth Roller I’d seen on a day, but I would always get my phone out for a BMW i3. They were that rare.
The BMW i3 was marketed in China from 2014 until 2020. BMW sold both the electric and the range-extender versions. Most of the cars that I saw, including this one, were of the fully electric kind. The 2018 EV model had 170 hp and 250 Nm. Range was 271 kilometers, top speed 150 km/h, and 0-100 took 7.3 seconds. Price started at a steep 305.800 yuan, which was incredible expensive for a car of this size and kind. No wonder sales were very low.
Happily, the i3 name remains alive in China. In 2022, BMW launched the new i3, an electric version of the long-wheelbase BMW 3Li. This new i3 is a China-only car made locally by the Brilliance-BMW joint venture.
Rear-wheel drive with 286 hp and 400 Nm, with a 70 kWh battery and a 526 kilometer CLTC range. Price starts at 349.900 yuan. Which i3 would a good man pick..? The highly advanced and expensive old one with all the oddities, or the new and locally made car with more space and power? Well, I guess we al know the answer, don’t we?