Announcement about BMW i3 future

Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-09-16/BMW-pulls-plug-on-iconic-i3-model-in-NEV-strategy-shift-K1Wa6n8j3a/index.html

• BMW has confirmed that it will not renew its flagship i3 electric car model, as the German automaker alters its strategy on new energy vehicles despite strong recent sales in China and worldwide.
  
  Talking to the Financial Times, BMW's head of sales and marketing Pieter Nota said "there's no specific plan for an i3 successor," adding that the firm would be looking to bring "electrification more to the mainstream."
  . . .
  Nota told the Financial Times that while the model would not be renewed, BMW would continue manufacturing the vehicle in its current guise, adding that the i3 was doing "extremely well in its sixth year of production."

IMHO, they drove off their carbon fiber body team and sold their carbon fiber production plant. In effect, they are walking away from what made the BMW i3 successful using 2014 era batteries.

Bob Wilson

sold their carbon fiber production plant. In effect, they are walking away from what made the BMW i3 successful using 2014 era batteries.

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Pretty much a cost factor. With the 2014 era batteries, they needed to save every last ounce of weight, to give the car even marginally acceptable range. with the improvement in batteries, trimming the weight by any means is no longer as necessary. That, coupled with BMW saying that carbon fiber cars take longer to manufacture, and don't fit the 60 seconds per station that is the BMW benchmark for car manufacture/production, so it can't be economically used in high production-number cars.

As long as they keep producing the i3 for a few more years, until the electric car becomes a little more mainstream, and alternative choices expand.

In my opinion BMW is missing the boat big time by just trying to add electric piecemeal to their existing ICE line. The i3/i8 should have been the start of a new BMW 'branch' to be expanded and grown.

I'm guessing many of you have watched the Autoline After Hours with guest Sandy Munro, who tore down and analyzed the i3 production process. Really interesting , highly recommended if you haven't seen it.

One thing that stood out in this discussion was Sandy's analysis that the slow and expensive CFRP construction and the body-on-chasis design of the i3 met a production sweet spot, I believe of 20k units per year and $40k per example. Many more than that, or lower price point, and it's not a design economically viable to sustain.

So whether the i3 is truly gaining popularity and requires higher production numbers, or simply is in need of a substantial refresh and all of the retooling that goes with it, or BMW is ready to commit to EVs and new technologies for larger production runs, I can understand how they've come to the conclusion that they can't go on with a price-competitive i3 in its current form.

https://youtu.be/uDr4L6BzpP8

THe CFRP body of the car saves a lot of time and parts over what a typical vehicle structure requires in that many of the bits like wiring harnesses don't need separate fasteners...they're designed to snap into channels of the frame. So, what may mean a bit more time in fabricating the body is likely offset at least some by its design and the eventual installation of other things. It takes a bit to lay it up, but the curing process is all of about 5-minutes once that's done.

Anyway, while I really do like my i3, when the new X5 plug-in hybrid shows up, I may be replacing my two cars with it. Enough electric range for most of my needs, but reliable long-distance travel without the need for, still sparse where I live, charging opportunities. When that wears out, I'd be more open to a long range EV.

April 23, 2019
Why The i3's Success Is Bad News For BMW
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2019/04/23/why-the-i3s-success-is-bad-news-for-bmw/

September 17, 2019
Why The End Of The i3 Is Good News For BMW
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeroenkraaijenbrink/2019/09/17/why-the-end-of-the-i3-is-good-news-for-bmw/

What I take from reading these two interesting articles is that the i cars (mostly the i3) "don't fit the BMW brand".

BMW Group's i3 has been increasing sales into it's sixth year with minimal redesign... AND brings in customers that are new to the company. Why wouldn't BMW Group try to retain these customers with fresh product?

Having owned two BMWs prior to the i3, I'd given up on the brand. I loved the engineering and feel of their cars into the early 2000s but from then onwards the cars got too heavy and the driving experience became too detached.

The i3 was a big, fun departure and hinted that there was a lot more to come from future, electric BMWs.

Now it sounds like BMW wants to sell us steel-framed electrified 3ers, 5ers, and Xs. If that where things are really going then the i3 will be my last BMW.

The i3 was a big, fun departure and hinted that there was a lot more to come from future, electric BMWs.

Now it sounds like BMW wants to sell us steel-framed electrified 3ers, 5ers, and Xs. If that where things are really going then the i3 will be my last BMW.

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My sentiments exactly!

I owned a Mini Cooper. Too small, and actually dangerous on occasion. Can't count how many times I was almost run off the road by a hulking full-size SUV that just didn't see my low-slung Mini in the next lane. And I am not the least bit interested in one of the standard BMW ice models they are going to 'partially' electrify.

I just do not understand why they don't do with the i3 to refresh it and keep selling it, what Tesla does. Forget tweaking body styles just so you can say it's the 'new' model. Instead, add software/technology driving improvements and enhancements to new year models, along with battery and charging advances. BMW needs to put leading-edge tech in the i3 and i8 like Tesla does, instead of their current BMW trailing edge technology - this is what people want.

Yeah but I couldn't care less about what else BMW is going to offer. I am more worried about "my i3". If the production stops then we are at the mercy of BMW for every little problem or part needed to get the car fixed. Mechanical or otherwise. Should we sell the i3s and get whatever value we can?
I just cannot imagine myself going to the dealers and getting fleeced every time I'm there.

There is not another car currently in production (from *any* marque) that I would give more than a half-eaten bologna sandwich to own!

When I visited our local BMW dealer meeting the roadside assistance tow truck there, I was overwhelmed by the "meh" of boring cookie-cutter cars that all looked the same sitting on their sales lot. I now believe that the series numbers are just the photocopier enlargement percentages on the blueprints. Even the monthly sales flyers that they now email me all show cars and SUV's that look the same, and I have no interest in any of them.

I think that the only hope for the i3 once BMW decided that it's EOL is if some private entity buys the tooling and continues producing the car as another badge. It has happened before, with Yugo buying the Fiat tooling, someone buying the DeLorean leftover parts and is/was making new cars, etc. I wonder if McLaren or Lotus would want to take on a more consumer-friendly carbon fiber car?????

I wonder if McLaren or Lotus would want to take on a more consumer-friendly carbon fiber car?????

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That's an interesting thought. Aston Martin "launched" the Cygnet (slightly rebadged Toyota iQ) with the sole reason being that they needed to increase their fleet fuel economy, since their only other cars are... not exactly fuel efficient.

The BMW i-brand could be a fuel economy buoy for some other car-maker selling a lot of fuel gulping vehicles who wants to bring up their corporate average. Though, to be honest, I can't really see that happening.