BMW CEO denies the i3 will be killed off, describes it as an ‘icon’…

By: CAR magazine

BMW’s CEO has denied reports the Munich-based firm plans to kill off its i3 electric vehicle, saying the model is already an “icon”.

Speaking to German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, newly appointed BMW CEO Oliver Zipse suggested rumours off an impending demise for the i3 were entirely false.

“The i3 will continue to be produced, no question about it. The car is already an icon today. Which car can claim this after only six years? Icons tick according to a different logic; they don’t have a classic successor, they always remain true to themselves in essence,” he told the publication.

Interestingly, Zipse went on to add the i3 would “make another leap in battery and operating concepts”, suggesting significant updates were on the cards.

“We are growing with the i3 every year – in Europe this year by around 20 percent. The investments have been written off; we earn money with every i3. Why in God’s name should we give up this car, which is now at the height of its time? We are sure that the i3 still has great potential,” he said.

As InsideEVs points out, the official BMW i Facebook page confirmed the news, posting “i3 production will continue in the future”.

In the first nine months of 2019, BMW Group South Africa registered 65 examples of the i3 on local soil.

Related Articles
R8

After Nearly Two Decades, The Audi R8 is No More