BMW Ireland has named an Irish starting price for its new i3 saloon, which will launch in the autumn as the i3 50 xDrive model, featuring an official WLTP range of 906km.
Go on then, how much will the new BMW i3 saloon cost in Ireland?
Well, there are a few components to this. Initially, Irish i3 orders will open for the i3 50 xDrive First Edition, which, as you might guess, is a ritzy, high-spec model, and it will have a list price of €72,855.
However, that's not the real entry-level price, because the standard i3 50 xDrive will actually start from €66,685. And we have no doubt that - as with the BMW iX3 - there will be a single-motor model launched further down the line, bringing the starting price down, hopefully below the €60k mark.
What do you get for that kind of money?
Based on the same 'Neue Klasse' electric car platform as the just-launched iX3 SUV, in 50 xDrive form, the i3 uses the same battery and motor combo as the bigger car, so you're getting a 108kWh battery with two electric motors, developing a combined 469hp and 645Nm of torque, with a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds.
Click here to read our BMW iX3 review.
BMW quotes an official WLTP range rating of 906km, with average energy consumption as low as 13.4kWh/100km. The battery can charge at up to 400kW on DC power (and optionally at up to 22kW on AC), so the i3 can regain as much as 423km of range in just ten minutes' charging, if you can find a 400kW charger (there are some, but not many yet…). There's also going to be a super-fast M3 version, using four motors for 1,000hp, and you can read more about that here: BMW M Concept Neue Klasse news.
BMW will, as mentioned, introduce versions of the i3 with smaller batteries and rear-wheel drive, presumably at a lower price points too.
What else do you get?
The i3 comes with BMW's new four-core computer control system known as the 'Heart of Joy', which aims to tie together all of the car's physical and digital controls into one coherent whole so that you get a traditional BMW driving feel (it certainly works in the iX3). There's also a clever 'soft stop' system for the brakes, which aims to make bringing the i3 to a halt that much smoother, and of course, you get the striking 'Panoramic Vision' dashboard, with its dramatic full-width instrument screen running across the entire bottom of the windscreen.
On the outside, you get the nice, crisp, sharp-edged styling from the Neue Klasse concept car, and a new interpretation of the BMW kidney grille, which this time is slim, wide and uses light instead of chrome for decoration.
How can I find out more about the new BMW i3 saloon?
We've done an in-depth look at the i3, complete with video.