The BMW i3 has been a great story for BMW, but its eight-year reign is coming to an end, at least here in North America. According to BMW Blog, the German automaker recently sent a notice to its U.S. dealers informing them that production of the model will end in July.
A BMW representative confirmed the news to American website Carbuzz. We contacted BMW Canada regarding the situation here, and received confirmation from them that the model is not coming back in 2022. BMW Canada does point out that the i3 will available here longer than in the U.S., until production of 2021 units ends.
The i3 has had a great run. Last October, BMW celebrated the production of the 200,000th unit in its factory in Leipzig, Germany. But the model is not at the forefront of the automaker’s electric strategy going forward. Instead, the German automaker is turning its focus to the all-electric i4 sedan and iX SUV, both far more modern and feature-laden than the aging i3. It would have been difficult for the i3 to do well sitting in the lineup alongside these more-advanced models.
In Europe, the i3’s ability to remain a strong rival to the Tesla Model 3 means it lives on there.
Originally launched with a small gasoline engine that served as a range extender, the i3 has already made history as BMW's first all-electric production model. Now it passes into history – at least on the North American continent.