BMW has already previewed the new i3, which will switch to the Neue Klasse platform instead of sticking to CLAR. We’ve also seen prototypes of the electric sedan out and about. Additionally, car paparazzi have caught test vehicles portraying the next-generation 3 Series on camera. However, the two different sedans have never been spotted together.
If you can’t immediately tell which is which, it’s understandable. At the beginning of the year, BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk told BMWBLOG future combustion and electric models will look very much alike: “I think you will be hard-pressed [from a distance] to tell which one is the electric one and which one is the combustion engine. It’s going to be that close.”
Ok, which is which? The 3 Series “G50” is the car closer to the camera, with two-tone wheels. It also possibly has an M Sport Package, judging by the red brake calipers. The fully electric i3 “NA0” with its silver wheels has a German license plate ending in “E” – a telltale sign it’s electric. A closer look at the i3 reveals it has a shorter nose, which makes sense, considering there’s no engine underneath the hood. BMW has already confirmed it will keep the inline-six alive for the next-gen 3er, which will definitely have a longer nose than the i3.
The two cars have different beltlines. It gently rises closer to the Hofmeister kink on the gas 3 Series, whereas the i3 has a flatter beltline. Conveniently, between the two cars is a current-generation 3 Series “G20.” Of the three, the electric prototype appears to be the smallest and seemingly has a slightly shorter front overhang. We also see another i3 prototype in front of them, joined by an i4 M50, finished in what appears to be Frozen Portimao Blue.
It’s logical that BMW is concomitantly testing the next 3 Series and i3, as both will be released next year. The “G50” will reportedly enter production in November 2026, four months after the “NA0.” Later in their life cycles, the two will receive full-fat M versions.
Photos: mikecras / Instagram