BMW has already won major plaudits for its all-electric iX3 SUV, its new long-ranged electric car which can officially cover more than 800km in one go and which has a dramatic sweeping instrument panel just under the windscreen. Now, though, comes something far more significant - an all-new, all-electric 3 Series based on the same 'Neue Klasse' electric car platform.
Is this the new BMW i3?
It certainly is, lifting the i3 badge from the - frankly adorable - ground-breaking electric hatchback that BMW launched as an almost experimental EV way back in 2014.
This, though, is something far more important, far more mainstream. There will continue to be a petrol-and-hybrid powered 3 Series after this new i3 goes on sale later this year, but given this car's exceptional one-charge range, why would you choose a more expensive petrol model?
How far will the BMW i3 go on one charge?
For now, the only version that has been detailed is the BMW i3 50 xDrive, using the same twin-motor, four-wheel-drive setup the larger iX3 launched with.
From the same 'Gen6' battery, with its 108.7kWh useable capacity, BMW reckons a WLTP range figure of 900km should be possible. Now, that's not quite confirmed yet - the i3 still has to be put through the full WLTP test - but BMW's own in-house number crunching has produced that figure and it's truly exceptional.
The only rival product that comes anywhere close for now is the less-powerful, rear-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with its 792km range.
What kind of performance does electric BMW 3 Series have?
In i3 50 xDrive form it packs 469hp and 645Nm of torque. BMW hasn't given us an official 0-100km/h figure yet but given that the taller and heavier iX3 does that sprint in 4.9 seconds, expect this i3 to be fairly brisk.
You may not feel the need to wait for the quad-motor, 1,000hp+ BMW i3M due in 2027.
What about charging the new BMW i3?
BMW's new batteries can cope with 800-volt charging, and so can charge at up to 400kW on suitably powerful DC high-speed chargers.
That's enough to allow as much as 400km of extra range to be added in just ten minutes' charging, although 400kW chargers are still pretty thin on the ground in Ireland (there are a good few 350kW chargers, so you'll still be able to top up quickly).
There's an option of 22kW AC charging too, which is handy if you regularly use kerbside chargers.
How does the new BMW 3 Series look?
Style is a subjective thing, of course, but we reckon this is BMW's best new car design in ages. The i3 keeps a great deal of the look of the original Neue Klasse concept, albeit with a few of the sharper lines softened for production.
It looks kind of like you'd expect a modern interpretation of a 1980s E30 3 Series to, and while it doesn't get the iX3's inset 'kidney grilles' (those are apparently for SUVs only) the i3 does get a subtle pinstripe of extra light in its 'grille' which gives it a more distinctive face.
There's no exterior chrome but the car we got to see had 21-inch M Sport wheels with aero insets, and was painted in a new colour - Le Castellet Blue - which has overtones of classic BMW colours such as Imola Blue.
There are flush-fitting retracting door handles, but we'll have to wait and see if they fall foul of incoming new Chinese safety legislation which seeks to ban such things.
What's the cabin of the new BMW 3 Series like?
Very much like that of the iX3, just lower-slung. The i3 gets the same - rather brilliant - 'Panoramic Vision' display that runs the full width of the base of the windscreen, which works really well in the bigger SUV, so we'd expect it to do much the same in this saloon.
There's a 17.9-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash, which is set much closer to the driver than many other manufacturers do, so the on-screen controls are really just a finger-stretch away.
The rhombus-like shape of the screen is meant to be a reminder of the way 1980s and 1990s BMW cabins were angled towards the driver, and the i3's screen doubles down on that, because it really is angled slightly more towards the driver than in the iX3.
Space in the back is about as you'd expect - it's not cavernous, but as with most 3 Series saloons down through the years, it's sufficient for four adults to get comfortable.
BMW hasn't given us a boot space volume, but there is a 'frunk' in the nose for stashing charging cables.
When can I have one in Ireland?
Later this year. Irish prices aren't set yet, but given how reasonably the iX3 has been priced so far, and equally given that BMW is planning versions of the i3 with rear-wheel drive and a smaller battery, this may well be one of the more affordable new models from the firm in recent years.
We'll have more details on all of that, and on spin-off models such as that super-potent new electric i3M and the Touring estate version of this i3, as the year rolls along.