The next-generation iX3 crossover is coming later this year, but to be honest, we’re more eager to see the i3 sedan. BMW has confirmed that pre-production of the “NA0” kicks off before the end of 2025 in Munich. However, it’ll be a while before you can park one in your garage. Series production of the first electric Neue Klasse sedan won’t allegedly start until July 2026.
Initially, BMW will only make the i3 for European customers. Buyers from the United States must patiently wait for a few more months. According to a new report, the first US-spec vehicles will be assembled in November 2026. Although unconfirmed, the two dates come from a trustworthy BMW insider who regularly posts on the Bimmer Post forums.
The report mentions additional details, reiterating what was evident from the spy photos. The new i3 will be the spitting image of the next-generation 3 Series “G50.” Well, judging chronologically by their debut dates, it’ll be the other way around. Of course, the designs of both cars were frozen a long time ago, back when Domagoj Dukec was still calling the shots. There’s a good chance that the vehicles were designed around the same time.
The two sedans are rumored to even share some of the wheel designs. Earlier this year, BMW Group head of design Adrian van Hooydonk told us that future ICE and EV models will look very similar. According to the new report, the i3 could be slightly fancier than the next 3 Series. For example, only the Neue Klasse-based model will reportedly offer optional massaging seats.
BMW aficionados know that an i3 sedan has been around for nearly three years. Sold exclusively in China, the model is based on the long-wheelbase 3 Series (“G28”) and is built on the same CLAR platform as the global 3er.
If you’d rather stick to the traditional 3er with combustion engines, it’s rumored to enter production in November 2026. The initial top version will supposedly be an M350 xDrive, with a full-fat M3 (“G84”) bound to hit the assembly line in July 2028. Unlike the current 3 Series made in Munich, its successor will be manufactured in Dingolfing. BMW has already announced that the Munich site will only make EVs starting in 2027.
Source: Bimmer Post