BMW i3 to Get Further Updates, Stay in Production

The BMW i3 is a rather peculiar car in the line-up of the Bavarian car maker. I’m not referring to the ever-repeating styling issue everyone seems so keen to pick on, but rather to the way it is built and developed. The BMW i3 and the i8 are quite different than “regular” BMWs and they don’t adhere to the same rules. The i3, for example, has gotten three important updates so far and a facelift, something you rarely see on other cars.

And yet, its story will continue the same way, for a bit longer. Speaking to Auto Express on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show, the BMW i Division chief, Robert Irlinger, said that the company will offer a couple more upgrades for the i3 in the future:

“There is always further potential, and we always look to the market and and whether we’ll need something – a big update or a small update. But there is more to come. When you’re talking about the battery, actually we had quite good feedback from the markets that the latest [120Ah] one is totally fine, if you’re using the car normally in an urban area. There is a little bit more coming; you will see something.”

That looks like a promise to further improve the i3 in key areas. The design of the thing was futuristic when it was launched and it will probably withstand the test of time for a longer period than the usual 7-year production cycle. It may be controversial but it’s definitely not looking old. And it looks like the i3 will be in production for longer than usual, according to the same BMW i Division chief.

“The i cars – the i3 and the i8 – are not comparable with normal BMW cars, which usually have a life cycle of about seven years. With i we will always try something new. Every year we’ve been selling more. We’re still confident with the car, and about its future success. If more people like it, and they keep liking it, why should we drop it?” Irlinger added. That’s something we’ve heard time and time again and it looks like it’s turning out to be true. We’re just curious about how BMW plans to upgrade its i models.

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