The final decision remains to be made.
BMW announced that a third member to the i family will be launched within the next month. The i4 is expected to arrive in 2020. However, a new report indicates that the i3, i8 could be discontinued.
In an interview at the New York Auto Show last Wednesday, Stefan Juraschek from BMW’s head of electric powertrain said Automotive News that there is no final decision on the two models and that they are still open to discussion
Juraschek basically says that the i3-i8 were technology showcases, and not regular models. Therefore they don’t need to follow traditional automotive trends. These words echo Robert Irlinger, i boss, who stated earlier this year that BMW was still “decising” regarding the two vehicles in an interview to Autocar.
The i8/i3 will not be discontinued anytime soon. The sports coupe will be getting a makeover later in the year. The i8 S will be a performance version with 450 horsepower (335 kilowatts). As the hybrid powertrain is still being tweaked, don’t expect to see a bigger gasoline engine.
Domagoj Dukec, BMW i design boss, stated earlier this year that there won’t always an i3 and an i3 after the i3. The compact electric car will not be replaced by a newer model, much like the i8.
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