When the BMW i3 arrived as a concept in 2011, along with its \u201ci\u201d stablemate the BMW i8, it was aggressively futuristic. The newly-launched \u201ci\u201d brand looked ahead, into a sci-fi future where electric cars were everywhere. It was a future that, ultimately, never came to be\u2026 because we have a better one. In this<\/em> future, almost every new car is electric, sure \u2013\u00a0but they\u2019re normal.<\/p>\n EVs are normal now, to parrot Electrify America\u2019s ad campaign<\/a>. They weren\u2019t normal in 2011, a year before the first Tesla Model S rolled off the assembly line<\/a>, and the BMW i cars didn\u2019t even attempt to look normal. They wore their different-ness proudly, and even avoided the \u201chybrid\u201d tag, even in the Rex equipped i3.<\/p>\n The BMW i3 won\u2019t have a direct replacement that builds off the same high-tech, high-cost, lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber structure. Instead, the i3 will be indirectly replaced by the iX1 \u2013 an all-electric version of the BMW X1 crossover that slots just below the iX3<\/a> \u2013 and an electric version of next-gen MINI Cooper.<\/p>\n That car is being built as part of a joint venture between BMW and Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors called Spotlight Automotive<\/a>.<\/p>\n For their part, BMW execs think the i3\u2019s fans will be well-served by the company\u2019s new EVs. \u201cToday\u2019s customers wanting a fully-electric city car perfectly tailored for urban driving or a compact but spacious vehicle for an active lifestyle will be perfectly served by the Mini Electric or the upcoming BMW iX1,\u201d a BMW UK spokesman told Autocar. \u201cBy the end of this year, the BMW Group will have six BEV models on the market<\/a>, with that number growing to 13 in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n The last BMW i3 will roll off the Leipzig assembly line in late July, 2022.<\/p>\n As I said before, the BMW i3 and the i8 were designed to be futuristic-looking. In the wake of the 2008\/09 economic meltdown, it seemed like EVs and hybrids were cool, sure, but only the most forward-looking early adopters seemed like they\u2019d be willing to actually bite on one. Eleven years after they debuted as concept cars, even the Ford F-150<\/a> and Chevy Silverado<\/a> \u2013 the mainest of mainstream vehicles \u2013\u00a0are electric. And we\u2019re all better off for it.<\/p>\n Source | Images: BMW, via Autocar<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/01\/bmw-i3-et-i8.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1000\" "\\"The")
Electrek\u2019s Take<\/h2>\n