[Cowherd.J]

The popularity of the Mach-E is making other carmakers reconsider their EV plans in the US.

According to Automotive News, BMW had plans to bring its electric iX3 to the US for the first half of 2021, but they changed their mind due.

The article mentions America's finicky demand for EVs and the competition of electric SUVs like the Mach-E and Model Y.

Another U.S. challenge for the iX3 is that BMW planned to launch it only with rear-wheel drive, limiting its appeal to American crossover buyers seeking the flexibility of all-while drive.

The BMW iX3 is tailored for the China market, where extended range is not a customer priority, said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions.

"Why push a vehicle with limited appeal into North America only to come up short next to a Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E?" Fiorani said. He believes BMW will have a more competitive chance for a U.S. iX3 when the automaker develops the next-generation X3 platform.

"With better batteries and all-wheel drive, the next generation would make a proper entry into this very competitive segment," Fiorani said.

 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

The popularity of the Mach-E is making other carmakers reconsider their EV plans in the US.

According to Automotive News, BMW had plans to bring its electric iX3 to the US for the first half of 2021, but they changed their mind due.

The article mentions America's finicky demand for EVs and the competition of electric SUVs like the Mach-E and Model Y.

Another U.S. challenge for the iX3 is that BMW planned to launch it only with rear-wheel drive, limiting its appeal to American crossover buyers seeking the flexibility of all-while drive.

The BMW iX3 is tailored for the China market, where extended range is not a customer priority, said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions.

"Why push a vehicle with limited appeal into North America only to come up short next to a Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-E?" Fiorani said. He believes BMW will have a more competitive chance for a U.S. iX3 when the automaker develops the next-generation X3 platform.

"With better batteries and all-wheel drive, the next generation would make a proper entry into this very competitive segment," Fiorani said.

I don't blame BMW for being skeptical about bringing the iX3 to the US. It's very hit and miss at the moment. They won't have a problem selling them in China and Europe first.

 

[St00k]

Funny that they won't sell the iX3 but they are so committed to the i3. That car is such a failure.

BMW had an opportunity to own the EV space and they just botched it so bad and handed it to Tesla.

 

[Cowherd.J]

Funny that they won't sell the iX3 but they are so committed to the i3. That car is such a failure.

BMW had an opportunity to own the EV space and they just botched it so bad and handed it to Tesla.

Yeah for a while it seemed like they were going to be the frontrunner for EVs among legacy carmakers. The for some crazy reason they stopped and are now playing catchup.

 

[peugfan]

Yeah for a while it seemed like they were going to be the frontrunner for EVs among legacy carmakers. The for some crazy reason they stopped and are now playing catchup.

BMW I3: It's an expensive EV city car but not a good fit for US. Basic model starts at $44k with a 42 kWh battery good for only 153 miles. You can option it up to $55k. You can add a range extender but even then it is less competent than the Volt was. The gas tank for the range extender is 2.4 gal, but if you run the battery low the noisy range extender will not allow you to run at highway speeds, only limp along at 35-40 mph. Now because you have an engine you have to change the oil and filter once a year and it's difficult to access. It's only RWD so limited appeal in northern climates. The styling is weird and the suicide rear doors are weird. It's light because of the carbon fiber body (3,200 lbs) but that also makes it expensive. Maybe a good engineering exercise, but a poor market fit. So they are finally going to add AWD and a better battery. It's a little late. But if the car fits someone's needs you can buy good used ones at a huge discount off list price. Just my take on this car.

 

[Baz Fell]

Funny that they won't sell the iX3 but they are so committed to the i3. That car is such a failure.

BMW had an opportunity to own the EV space and they just botched it so bad and handed it to Tesla.

But it's not a failure. It continues to sell very well (outside of US) and has more than recouped its development costs. It's also something considered a future design classic .... at least by some ;

 

[Baz Fell]

BMW I3: It's an expensive EV city car but not a good fit for US. Basic model starts at $44k with a 42 kWh battery good for only 153 miles. You can option it up to $55k. You can add a range extender but even then it is less competent than the Volt was. The gas tank for the range extender is 2.4 gal, but if you run the battery low the noisy range extender will not allow you to run at highway speeds, only limp along at 35-40 mph. Now because you have an engine you have to change the oil and filter once a year and it's difficult to access. It's only RWD so limited appeal in northern climates. The styling is weird and the suicide rear doors are weird. It's light because of the carbon fiber body (3,200 lbs) but that also makes it expensive. Maybe a good engineering exercise, but a poor market fit. So they are finally going to add AWD and a better battery. It's a little late. But if the car fits someone's needs you can buy good used ones at a huge discount off list price. Just my take on this car.

Sounds like you maybe haven't driven one. It's possible to keep an even nice steady 70mph on the range extender almost indefinitely and not deplete the battery. I have done over 300 miles on Rex at this speed so I know. So 'limp along' ?. Mostly though you never need to use the range extender so you certainly don't need to change oil and filter once a year (unless for some reason you use it on Rex all the time). I have had mine for 2 years and done 30,000 miles with only about 500 on Rex . So I don't anticipate changing oil or filter for more than 5 years in future (if that).
In addition the Rex barely makes a sound . If you are driving at over 40mph, or have the radio on - you can't hear it. It's quieter than any car engine I know.
Finally - whilst expensive in the US, it's about $10k cheaper than the model 3 here in UK. Used it is a bargain. Mine had only 6k miles mileage, less than one year old and cost half the price of Tesla model SR+ here in UK at least.

 

[Cowherd.J]

BMW I3: It's an expensive EV city car but not a good fit for US. Basic model starts at $44k with a 42 kWh battery good for only 153 miles. You can option it up to $55k. You can add a range extender but even then it is less competent than the Volt was. The gas tank for the range extender is 2.4 gal, but if you run the battery low the noisy range extender will not allow you to run at highway speeds, only limp along at 35-40 mph. Now because you have an engine you have to change the oil and filter once a year and it's difficult to access. It's only RWD so limited appeal in northern climates. The styling is weird and the suicide rear doors are weird. It's light because of the carbon fiber body (3,200 lbs) but that also makes it expensive. Maybe a good engineering exercise, but a poor market fit. So they are finally going to add AWD and a better battery. It's a little late. But if the car fits someone's needs you can buy good used ones at a huge discount off list price. Just my take on this car.

That's what I mean, they were ahead of the game when they introduced the i3 but after that it seemed like they stopped developing and refining their EVs. Like they just rested on their laurels while other companies continued to develop their EV technology.

 

[zhackwyatt]

Sounds like you maybe haven't driven one. It's possible to keep an even nice steady 70mph on the range extender almost indefinitely and not deplete the battery. I have done over 300 miles on Rex at this speed so I know. So 'limp along' ?. Mostly though you never need to use the range extender so you certainly don't need to change oil and filter once a year (unless for some reason you use it on Rex all the time). I have had mine for 2 years and done 30,000 miles with only about 500 on Rex . So I don't anticipate changing oil or filter for more than 5 years in future (if that).
In addition the Rex barely makes a sound . If you are driving at over 40mph, or have the radio on - you can't hear it. It's quieter than any car engine I know.
Finally - whilst expensive in the US, it's about $10k cheaper than the model 3 here in UK. Used it is a bargain. Mine had only 6k miles mileage, less than one year old and cost half the price of Tesla model SR+ here in UK at least.

I was intrigued by this machine, so I started hunting around BMW's website. I found it astonishing how hard you have to look to find out about range. And I couldn't find any information on the Range Extender other than it's there. I find it interesting as it's a flip/flop of the Volt paradigm as far as EV vs ICE range.

Can you really go 5 years without changing the oil? I thought there was a shelf-life as well.

 

[peugfan]

Sounds like you maybe haven't driven one. It's possible to keep an even nice steady 70mph on the range extender almost indefinitely and not deplete the battery. I have done over 300 miles on Rex at this speed so I know. So 'limp along' ?. Mostly though you never need to use the range extender so you certainly don't need to change oil and filter once a year (unless for some reason you use it on Rex all the time). I have had mine for 2 years and done 30,000 miles with only about 500 on Rex . So I don't anticipate changing oil or filter for more than 5 years in future (if that).
In addition the Rex barely makes a sound . If you are driving at over 40mph, or have the radio on - you can't hear it. It's quieter than any car engine I know.
Finally - whilst expensive in the US, it's about $10k cheaper than the model 3 here in UK. Used it is a bargain. Mine had only 6k miles mileage, less than one year old and cost half the price of Tesla model SR+ here in UK at least.

No, I have not driven an i3. I considered buying a used i3 and did some blog reading. The noisy comment was from an actual owner. I'm sure there have been upgrades and improvements since the original model. The styling is always subject to personal preference but your experience on range tells a better story than what I was reading. Does the range extender come on automatically at a certain battery level to extend your driving time? 300 miles sound good. In the end, the i3 was too small for me and the MME seemed a better fit although more of a budget stretch. Nice to hear real owner experience.

 

[ChasingCoral]

BMW has made 200,000 of its quirky i3 electric cars

The BMW i3 no longer signifies the future for the German automaker's electric-car efforts, but it 200,000 globally is a significant milestone.

www.greencarreports.com

BMW has made 200,000 of its quirky i3 electric cars

STEPHEN EDELSTEIN OCTOBER 21, 2020 5 COMMENTS
View Gallery

BMW reported Tuesday that it had built its 200,000th i3 electric car since the start of production in 2013.

The milestone car was finished in Fluid Black metallic paint with BMW i Blue accents, and was produced for a customer in the German state of Saxony, the automaker said in a press release.

Launched in the United States for the 2014 model year, the i3 broke new ground not only as BMW's first mass-market production electric car, but through innovative design features like a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body shell, quirky styling, and an interior that incorporated a plant-based material called kenaf.

BMW originally planned for the "I" models—including both the i3 and now-discontinued i8 plug-in hybrid—to be distinct from its other models, taking more design risks. But the automaker seems to have changed its plans, and future BMW electric models are expected to be somewhat more conventional.



The 200,000th BMW i3

The number 200,000 is significant in the United States as, after selling that number of qualifying plug-in cars, the federal EV tax credit begins to phase out. BMW, however, is only halfway there, as of the end of June.

U.S. sales have likely been hampered by the i3's small size and limited range. While BMW has made improvements over the years, the 2020 i3 still has an EPA-estimated range of only 153 miles (200 miles with the optional gasoline range extender), when most automakers are aiming for more than 200 miles of all-electric range.

To put things in perspective, the Nissan Leaf passed 400,000 cumulative global sales last year, while production exceeded 500,000 cars in August.

It took Nissan two generations of Leaf and nearly a decade to reach 500,000 units of production, but Volkswagen believes it can sell 500,000 ID.4 crossovers annually by 2025.

 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

BMW has made 200,000 of its quirky i3 electric cars

The BMW i3 no longer signifies the future for the German automaker's electric-car efforts, but it 200,000 globally is a significant milestone.

www.greencarreports.com

BMW has made 200,000 of its quirky i3 electric cars

STEPHEN EDELSTEIN OCTOBER 21, 2020 5 COMMENTS
View Gallery

BMW reported Tuesday that it had built its 200,000th i3 electric car since the start of production in 2013.

The milestone car was finished in Fluid Black metallic paint with BMW i Blue accents, and was produced for a customer in the German state of Saxony, the automaker said in a press release.

Launched in the United States for the 2014 model year, the i3 broke new ground not only as BMW's first mass-market production electric car, but through innovative design features like a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body shell, quirky styling, and an interior that incorporated a plant-based material called kenaf.

BMW originally planned for the "I" models—including both the i3 and now-discontinued i8 plug-in hybrid—to be distinct from its other models, taking more design risks. But the automaker seems to have changed its plans, and future BMW electric models are expected to be somewhat more conventional.



The 200,000th BMW i3
The number 200,000 is significant in the United States as, after selling that number of qualifying plug-in cars, the federal EV tax credit begins to phase out. BMW, however, is only halfway there, as of the end of June.

U.S. sales have likely been hampered by the i3's small size and limited range. While BMW has made improvements over the years, the 2020 i3 still has an EPA-estimated range of only 153 miles (200 miles with the optional gasoline range extender), when most automakers are aiming for more than 200 miles of all-electric range.

To put things in perspective, the Nissan Leaf passed 400,000 cumulative global sales last year, while production exceeded 500,000 cars in August.

It took Nissan two generations of Leaf and nearly a decade to reach 500,000 units of production, but Volkswagen believes it can sell 500,000 ID.4 crossovers annually by 2025.

I'm surprised that BMW has sold so many i3s. I barely see any when I'm out and about.

 

[JTK44]

I'm surprised that BMW has sold so many i3s. I barely see any when I'm out and about.

That's because in the US most of them are sitting in dealer lots unsold!

Overpriced, short range and funky styling make the I3 a BMW dealer's nightmare.

Ditto: The Audi Etron and Jaguar IPace