When BMW first announced it was reimagining the i3 as an all-electric four-door sedan built on its Neue Klasse platform, it left out a lot of important details, like battery capacity, range, and price. Today, the German automaker is finally starting to fill in the blanks on the i3.
Let’s start with price. BMW says the 2027 i3 50 xDrive will start at $61,500, plus a $1,350 destination fee, putting it firmly in the Mercedes C-Class segment of competition. (Back in March, we could only guess a ballpark starting price around $60,000.) We also weren’t certain when the new EV would be available in the US; today, BMW confirmed an official launch in the first quarter of 2027.
BMW also revealed new details about the i3’s motors. There are two of them — an electrically excited synchronous motor (EESM) in the rear axle that produces 322 horsepower and 321 lb-ft of torque; and an asynchronous motor in the front axle, putting out 165 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque — for a total output of 463 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque.
BMW confirmed an official launch in the first quarter of 2027.
The EESM, which serves as the primary drive axle, uses electricity instead of permanent magnets to power both its stator outer frame and rotor inner spinning part. An inverter acts as the brain of the system, converting direct current from the battery into alternating current for the motor, regulating the electromagnets, and monitoring performance to keep the motor running as efficiently as possible.
The range figures quoted in the press release are pretty impressive. Back in March, we estimated around 440 miles of battery range, but BMW says the actual estimated figure will be closer to 468 miles, based on EPA testing. BMW may have caught wind of the 2027 Mercedes EQS’s crazy range estimate of 925km (575 miles) on the WLTP cycle (which tends to be around 10–20 percent more generous than the EPA’s estimates), and figured they could do nearly as well for way less money. Honestly, it’s a pretty decent bet.
Frustratingly, BMW is still keeping mum on the i3’s battery capacity — though it does confirm that it features the automaker’s “Gen6” high-voltage battery built with cylindrical lithium-ion cells measuring 46 mm in diameter and 95 mm in height. The new cylindrical cells provide a 20 percent increase in energy density compared to the prismatic cells used in the Gen5 batteries.
The BMW i3 has a few other tricks up its sleeve, including bidirectional charging with vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-home capabilities, an intelligent charging flap that opens when a driver approaches a known charging point, and Plug & Charge for automatic charging at 10 different charging providers.
The iDrive infotainment system represents a completely redesigned digital dashboard that replaces traditional gauge clusters with a heads-up style windshield projection. It stays visible even if you wear polarized sunglasses, and passengers can view or customize parts of it. The 17.9-inch central touchscreen presents as a free-cut display where you can drag and drop up to six “widgets” like media, weather, or navigation from the screen directly onto the windshield display. And the steering wheel uses “shy-tech” controls, in which buttons only light up when available and offer haptic feedback so you don’t have to look down while driving.
In the vein of luxury automakers racing to cram more AI features into their vehicles, BMW is integrating Amazon’s Alexa into the i3. The much-delayed, large-language model version of Alexa can handle natural, conversational requests, search for online information, or manage climate and windows naturally. (BMW has been angling to get the new AI-powered version of Alexa in its cars since 2022, but was delayed by Amazon’s long development cycle.)
When the car is parked, you can watch movies or live shows through the built-in Video app powered by TiVo (remember them?) and eventually Amazon Prime Video. The navigation system will run on BMW’s own maps, but with Google Places — points of interest powered by search data — integrated. The system runs on an Android-based platform and receives ongoing over-the-air software updates.
But if you’re looking for more performance, BMW is also offering the i3 M60 xDrive, a high-powered racing variant with M-specific lights and graphics and 21-inch Style 1067M aerodynamic wheels. That version will arrive sometime in 2027 for an unspecified price.