BMW Ramps Up i3 Production After Strong Early Demand
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- BMW opened orders for the new i3 in mid-June, months ahead of schedule, after stronger-than-expected demand for the electric sedan.
- Jochen Goller, BMW's sales boss, said the i3 "is already seeing strong demand since orders opened ahead of its launch," with both Neue Klasse models driving a steep production ramp-up.
- The i3 is being built at BMW Plant Munich in Germany, becoming the second Neue Klasse model after the iX3, which entered production at BMW's new Debrecen, Hungary plant late last year.
- BMW's Debrecen plant built 50,000 iX3 units in nine months — the fastest ramp-up at any new BMW plant — with orders on track to reach 100,000 soon.
- The i3 Launch Edition opened at €75,340 in Germany on June 18, with the base model priced from €65,900 in late September; US pricing is expected around $50,000–$55,000 with sales starting early 2027.
- The i3 uses BMW's Gen6 eDrive with a 108.7 kWh battery delivering up to 566 km WLTP range, an 800V architecture, 400 kW DC fast-charging (adding ~440 km in 10 minutes), and a NACS port for the US market.
Why it matters: BMW is accelerating i3 production months ahead of schedule due to stronger-than-expected early orders. The iX3's 50,000-unit production in nine months at Debrecen — the fastest ramp-up at any new BMW plant — shows the Neue Klasse platform selling above $61,500, and the i3's anticipated $50,000–$55,000 US entry point widens the addressable buyer pool for BMW's next-gen EVs.
