No plans for i3 successor, says BMW sales boss

BMW has no plans to release a second-generation i3, the firm’s sales boss has confirmed.

Introduced in 2013, the electric hatchback was the firm’s first EV and has soldiered on in its first-generation guise since then — save for a mid-life refresh in 2017.

However, it appears the car will not be directly replaced when it eventually goes out of production — with resources focused on electrifying the rest of its model line-up.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Pieter Nota, BMW’s sales and marketing chief, said: “There’s no specific plan for an i3 successor. We are now bringing electrification more to the mainstream.”

The i3 played a spearheading role in launching the firm’s ‘i’ range of electric vehicles, alongside the hybrid i8 sports car, with the firm soon expanding on the sub-brand. An i4 saloon looks set to join the line-up by 2021, with an iX3 SUV due next year.

Following on from those is the currently-named ‘iNEXT’ — a larger SUV that will feature Level 3 autonomous driving technology. It will join the i4 in making a 2021 debut.