BMW i3 UK Debut Brings Neue Look At The Radical Electric Sedan

We interrupt your lazy Sunday scrolling with a fresh batch of BMW i3 photos. The electric 3 Series has made its UK media-launch debut, giving us another chance to admire Munich’s radical new sedan. This particular i3 50 xDrive wears M Le Castellet Blue, a fresh addition to the company’s color palette, paired with a bright Digital White interior.

Optional 20-inch M alloy wheels further enhance the exterior, giving the electric sedan a sportier stance. The blue paint highlights the i3’s sharp surfaces and distinctive proportions. It’s a particularly interesting combination, especially considering how different this car looks from the combustion-powered 3 Series we’ve grown accustomed to over the decades.

BMW has made no secret of its intention to reinvent the 3 Series for the Neue Klasse era. The i3 is the first fully electric sedan to bring that new design language to the brand’s core, with a completely redesigned front end, a cleaner profile, and a distinctive rear light signature. The result is a significant departure from the outgoing G20, even if the familiar sedan proportions remain.

A White Interior For The Neue Klasse Era

The Digital White cabin, complete with a matching Individual white steering wheel, contrasts sharply with the blue exterior. As expected from a Neue Klasse model, the dashboard adopts a minimalist approach, with even fewer traditional controls and a greater emphasis on digital interaction. BMW’s Panoramic Vision projection stretches across the base of the windshield, while the central touchscreen and unorthodox multifunction steering wheel complete the revamped cockpit.

The interior also benefits from the i3’s dedicated electric architecture, which helps create a spacious and airy environment with a flat floor. A standard panoramic glass roof adds to that impression, although the minimalist approach won’t necessarily appeal to everyone. Drivers who prefer physical buttons may need time to adjust to BMW’s latest take on the driver-focused cockpit.

The i3 50 xDrive is currently the more powerful of the two launch versions, using two electric motors to provide all-wheel drive. BMW quotes up to 566 miles (911 kilometers) of WLTP range for the UK-spec car, while its 800-volt electrical architecture supports DC charging at up to 400 kW under suitable conditions.

Up next

More Electric Performance Is Coming

The i3 50 xDrive won’t remain the range-topping electric 3 Series forever. BMW plans to launch an i3 M60 next year, adding an M Performance derivative to the lineup. That’s not all, as the company is also preparing a fully electric M3, which will take the Neue Klasse formula in a considerably more performance-focused direction.

These UK photos give us another opportunity to get acquainted with BMW’s electric 3 Series. Whether you love or hate the styling, there’s no denying that the i3 represents one of the biggest transformations in the model’s history. And if you’re still getting used to the Neue Klasse design language, spending a little more time with it probably won’t hurt. For now, the i3 lineup consists of the 40 xDrive and this 50 xDrive, but buyers who don’t need all-wheel drive and want a more affordable entry point will have to wait for a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive i3 40 version.

BMW currently offers the i3 only as a sedan, but plans to keep the Touring formula alive in the Neue Klasse era. The electric wagon could break cover as early as next year, giving customers an excellent middle ground between the i3 sedan and the iX3 crossover. Meanwhile, an eighth-generation 3 Series with combustion engines and plug-in hybrid drivetrains will cater to ICE loyalists. Even the gas-fueled sedan could get a long-roof sibling.

That means BMW has something for everyone. Well, almost everyone. Diesel fans are out of luck, as oil-burners are gone for good from the 3 Series lineup.