BMW i3

THE FIRST EV TO TAKE HOME THE COTY GONG... GETS GONGED

- CHRIS THOMPSON

IT WAS BMW’S first production EV and the first electric car to ever win our Car of the Year award, but now the plug is being pulled. After eight years of production, slowing sales – and the advance of EV tech and expectations – means the BMW i3 meets its end in 2022.

This, of course, isn’t BMW giving up on EVs, rather changing its EV direction somewhat, much like the expectations of the car-buying public.

When the i3 launched in 2014, sedans and hatchbacks still dominated the market. SUVs were still ‘on the up’ rather than sitting on the throne, and despite the arrival of the Tesla Model S, applying EV technology to small cars was seen as the smart move. It’s easy to see how BMW saw the i3 as a crucial leap forward, along with its i8 hybrid sports-car sibling.