The BMW i3’s Arrival Signals the End of the i4BMW
BMW has confirmed the recently revealed i3 sedan will effectively replace the electric i4 that has been on sale since 2022.
The i4’s final model year will be 2026; the 2027 BMW i3 is set to go on sale by the end of this year.
A BMW executive hinted that there could be a more direct successor to the i4 in the future, which would likely have a rear hatch instead of the i3’s traditional trunk.
Today, BMW finally pulled the covers off the highly anticipated i3 sedan, an electric counterpart to the iconic 3-series and the second vehicle to join BMW’s Neue Klasse family alongside the iX3 SUV. But the arrival of the i3 is leading to the demise of one of BMW’s other EVs, with brand representatives confirming to Car and Driver at the reveal event that the i4 is being discontinued.
BMW
The i4 was launched for the 2022 model year as an electric version of the 4-series Gran Coupe, and now BMW tells us that the 2026 model year will be its last. The i4 underwent a few mechanical changes for 2026, most notably with the range-topping M50 model gaining an extra 56 horsepower and changing its name to M60.
The i4’s departure is the result of the i3’s arrival, as the two four-door models would overlap on dimensions and price. The i3 is one inch shorter than the i4, a half-inch wider, and 1.3 inches taller than the i4. While we don’t yet have pricing for the i3, we expect it to start around $53,000, roughly $6000 less than the i4.
The similarities in size and pricing would make the i4 a hard sell when you look at the powertrain specs. The i4 maxes out at 318 miles of range in the most efficient 335-hp single-motor rear-wheel-drive model, while the only i3 available out of the gate—the 463-hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive i3 50 xDrive—is good for a claimed 440 miles of range.
BMW
There’s one key attribute that the i4 has that’s missing from the i3. The latter is a proper sedan, like the gas-powered 3-series, while the i4 is technically a hatchback, with the rear glass lifting along with the trunklid to create a vast rear opening. While the official line from BMW is that the i3 is the effective replacement for the i4, Bernd Koerber, BMW’s senior vice president of product management, told C/D that there could be room for a model that more closely captures the i4’s sportier, more coupe-like essence in the future.
We would expect such a future i4 to have a longer, more sloping roofline and a rear hatch, but there’s no timeline for when to expect such a vehicle. But for now, BMW will focus on the i3 sedan, with the i4’s run coming to an end after five model years.
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