📝 usncan Note: BMW Teases All-Electric 2026 3 Series Sedan At IX3 Launch
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BMW has teased the 2026 i3 sedan BEV during the launch of the iX3 in Munich today. Photo: Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor
BMW teased its first full-production electric 3 Series model in Munich today, with a camouflaged i3 sedan sneaking in to the launch of the iX3 BEV SUV.
In an unprecedented product onslaught, BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse confirmed the new i3, on sale next year, will be the second of a staggering 40 new models that the Bavarian brand will launch by the end of 2027.
The i3 is codenamed NA0 AND will be based on the same Neue Klasse architecture as the iX3, and will be built on the same Debrecen, Hungary, production line as its just-revealed SUV sibling.
The next 3 Series, BMW’s mainstay cash cow for 50 years, will arrive with gasoline, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions as well, and the i3 will be the first variant of its new generation.
“This is the first model variant of the new 3 Series generation,” Zipse confirmed.
“For the past 50 years and seven model generations, no other vehicle has been as closely tied to the success of BMW as the 3 Series. It’s at the very core and very heart of BMW.”
Adopting the battery-electric powertrain and industry-leading recycled-material mix as the iX3, the i3 will boast more than 800km of EV range and a one- or two-motor layout.
It will be able to charge at a 400kW peak, using 800 Volt technology, and will also deliver sedan, wagon and two-door coupe variants in what Zipse calls an “incomparable driving experience.”
The new i3 will share its technology with the iX3 and 38 other BMW models before the end of 2027. Photo: Michael Taylor.
Michael Taylor
It will share the iX3’s footprint, with a 2897mm wheelbase, and is thought to be at least 100kg lighter than the 2285kg iX3.
“After the launch of the i3, more variants will follow, and the iX3 and the i3 are powerful symbols of the full spectrum the Neue Klasse will cover,” Zipse said.
“From 2026, every new BMW will be all new. We will launch 40 different new and updated models by 2027. That is the future. That is BMW.”
This will be the first worldwide i3 from BMW, though it has a current i3-named BEV on sale in China, sitting on the older KLAR architecture.
Its current 3-Series-sized BEV is named the i4 in most countries.
BMW has had a 3 Series in its lineup since 1975, and it succeeded the much-loved 02 series of cars. The i3 will be its eighth generation of the venerable nameplate, which has been sold in sedan, wagon, convertible and coupe form. BMW morphed the two-door 3 Series models onto a 4 Series badge in 2013.
