- The BMW i3 First Edition has gone on sale in Europe, priced from €75,340 in Germany.
- The standard i3 will be available this fall from €65,900.
- High demand has convinced BMW to start selling the model.
The new i3 has officially arrived in Europe a few months earlier than BMW originally planned. Strong demand prompted the luxury automaker to push back the launch of the electric sedan from its originally scheduled fall market debut. However, you can’t configure the car exactly how you want as BMW is currently limiting the availability of the First Edition aimed at early adopters.
Nevertheless, there is still some room for optimization. Buyers can choose from six exterior colors, including the special M Le Castellet Blue that you may have seen in the official photos. Four alloy wheel designs are available in 19- or 20-inch sizes. Inside, the standard M interior in Black Vegenza and M Performtex can be changed with optional upholstery options including a white theme.
BMW is asking €75,340 for the i3 50 xDrive First Edition in Germany and that includes more than a few niceties. The M Sport package and illuminated kidney grille come standard with heated and electrically adjustable front seats. To help justify the price, BMW also includes a heated steering wheel, tinted rear window, and three-zone automatic climate control. The standard equipment list extends to an electrically operated trunk, a Harman Kardon sound system and 22-kW AC charging instead of the standard 11 kW.
Photo by: BMW
BMW i3 First Edition: optional extras
While special editions don’t typically offer as many options, this one does. Buyers can add heated rear seats, a panoramic glass roof (which does not open), a white steering wheel (only available with white interior), and an electrically deployable tow bar. BMW also offers a wide range of driver-assistance and safety features, including Highway and City Assistant, which helps reduce fatigue during daily trips.
When the i3 officially launches this fall, BMW will expand the lineup with the base model. The standard i3 50 xDrive will cost €65,900 in Germany. For reference, the equivalent iX3 50 xDrive starts at €74,700, making the crossover about €9,000 more expensive. Additional models will be coming to the segment, including the already announced i3 Touring and the highly anticipated iX4 coupe-style crossover.
Americans will still have to wait a long time, as the i3 won’t arrive in the US until next year. By then, the lineup is likely to expand with additional variants. There’s a good chance that BMW will introduce a more affordable i3 that ditches the front motor. In fact, the company already sells a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive iX3 40 with a smaller battery in Europe.
7
Source: BMW
Motor1’s Opinion: It appears that, like the iX3, its sedan sibling is off to a strong start. BMW has secured 50,000 pre-orders for the crossover in Europe alone within six months and is already citing “high demand” for the i3. The first version gives eager customers the opportunity to quickly reserve one and get behind the wheel as quickly as possible.
However, BMW is not bringing production forward. According to the original plan, the i3 will start rolling off the assembly line in August. This first edition offers a pre-order opportunity. Deliveries to Europe are expected to begin this autumn, shortly after production begins in Munich.
