Launched in 2013, the i3 was BMW’s first fully electric vehicle.
BMWBMW’s Discontinued i3 Is Already an EV Cult Classic
As bigger electric cars take precedence, some lightweight models are disappearing from the market — and few little EVs are as beloved as the i3.
When BMW launched its electric-hatchback i3 in 2013, it was the carmaker’s first ever mass-produced fully electric vehicle. A quirky little car, with four seats, rear-hinged back doors and a frame made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, the i3 stood dramatically apart from the rest of the brand’s lineup. This was by design. BMW wasn’t trying to convince its core customers to abandon their sporty sedans and roomy SUVs — the goal was to entice early EV adopters to give the German automaker a try.
The plan worked perhaps too well. When the i3 started popping up on US dealership lots, BMW loyalists largely ignored it, while new customers came looking for the car. By 2021 the company was ready to refocus on its core customers, and set a goal of making 50% of all BMW sales EVs by 2030. In January 2022, BMW said it would stop production of the i3 entirely, instead leaning into larger, longer range EV options like the i4 and iX — cars meant to look like the brand’s other models. Over the i3’s nine years on the market in the US, slightly more than half of sales went to first-time BMW buyers. But it sold fewer than 50,000 units, according to data from Edmunds, often at steep discounts.