Rumors about the plans of the Bavarians to stop the production of “ay-third” for almost three years, but the assembly line of the Leipzig BMW plant will work right up to July. In the era of mass electrification, the possibility of unifying the model range comes to the fore among automakers, and the i3 is the only one of its kind in all key parameters.
High production costs confuse the Bavarian top management, but otherwise the model turned out to be successful: over 250 thousand electric cars were produced in eight years.
In honor of the round figure (and at the same time the retirement of i3), marketers have prepared a version of the HomeRun Edition. Moreover, it will not be easy to buy it: the circulation is limited to ten cars.
Of the features – two matte body colors to choose from (red or gray), 20-inch wheels, a panoramic electric roof with thermal glass, a Vernasca leather interior, a Harman Kardon audio system and the maximum possible set of electronic assistants. But most importantly, buyers who paid for the “farewell” electric car could personally visit the factory to observe the assembly process of their car.
When the assembly line life of the BMW i3 hatchback comes to an end, the Leipzig plant will partially switch to the production of traction batteries for other electric vehicles of the brand. In addition, it will continue to assemble BMW Group models on the UCL2 front-wheel drive platform – the X1 crossover, as well as sedans and compact vans of the second series. By the way, the new Mini Countryman will also be produced there, the premiere of which is scheduled for 2023.
With the cessation of production of the hatchback, BMW will get rid of the confusion in the names: in China, under the name i3, an electric version of the third series sedan is being produced – a separate plant was even built in partnership with Brilliance to implement a large-scale project, but the debut of the model in Europe is not yet planned.
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