The X5 G65 isn’t the only new BMW making its Italian debut this weekend at the Turin Motor Show. Fully electric and reinvented as a sedan, the i3 is also there, serving a dual purpose. Beyond being the first Neue Klasse sedan in the modern era, it also hints at the design direction of the upcoming 3 Series. Although the G50 will retain its CLAR platform, it will share its exterior and interior styling wholesale with the NA0.
Predictably, the show car comes in M Le Castellet Blue since it’s the star color BMW keeps promoting. All the press shots featured the electric sedan in this new shade, which is currently exclusive to the i3. The M Sport Package looks nice and all, but we’re still curious to see the car without it. There’s a good chance we won’t have to wait much longer, as online configurators should be up and running soon, at which point we’ll finally get to see the base model.
Codenamed 1066 M, the 20-inch wheels feature a new design BMW is introducing with the i3, and the two-tone look is hardly a surprise. The Bavarian brand continues to prefer this look or a full-black finish over the traditional silver design. A larger 21-inch set will be offered as an option for a sportier stance, though one that might hurt range.
Blue Over White
As with the diesel-fueled X5 we mentioned earlier, the i3 comes in Digital White but goes a step further by featuring a matching steering wheel. This blue-over-white combo echoes the electric sedan we saw earlier this year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (pictured above), albeit that car had a right-hand-drive layout since it was built for the UK market.
The i3 has already entered series production in Munich, so customer deliveries are just about to start. If you’d rather have a more practical car without jumping on the SUV bandwagon, BMW is working on an alternative to the iX3. The first-ever i3 Touring should arrive sometime next year, and it won’t be the only new model in this segment. An iX4 coupe-styled crossover will beat it to the punch, with all signs pointing to a world premiere before the end of 2026.
The New 3 Series Is Coming Very Soon
BMW has already previewed the new 3 Series and its M350 xDrive range-topper, so ICE loyalists have plenty to look forward to. Most of the design you see here will carry over inside and out, but with slightly different proportions, as the G50 gets a longer nose. It’s a necessary change to fit four- and six-cylinder combustion engines where the i3 has a front trunk. At the back, the M Performance flavor will rock a quad-pipe exhaust setup.
But in essence, the next 3 Series will closely mirror the i3’s design, for better or worse. What you see here won’t be that much different from the eighth-generation 3er that BMW will unveil at the end of the month.
Video: crospotter13 / YouTube
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
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