BMW showed a new model, which will receive the name i3 – this is a 3-series sedan on electric power exclusively for the Chinese market on a local extended platform. But the Chinese i3 is also interesting because this is what BMW 3-series will look like all over the world after a quick restyling.

The i3 is available in China in the uncontested eDrive35L version with one electric motor on the rear axle producing 286 hp. The battery capacity is 66.1 kWh, the range is about 500 km. Acceleration to 100 km/h takes 6.2 seconds.

In addition, the i3 received a number of updates that will soon become the property of all BMW “triples” – for example, restyling will bring them an updated optics design, the next generation iDrive interface, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 14.9-diagonal multimedia touchscreen inches, combined into one curved panel.

Production of the BMW i3 for the Chinese market will begin very soon at the same plant where the iX3 crossover is produced. The debut of the global restyled version of the current “troika” is scheduled for the end of 2022, while the restyling will probably bring an all-electric version to the global market.