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New Delhi: German carmaker BMW have been working on the second-generation of the i3, only this time, it is going to be a saloon. The battery electric counterpart of the 3-Series portfolio, a lot is being spoken about the upcoming i3, which is set to start production during the second part of this year. 

In a big step for completion, BMW have now started to roll out the first near-series test vehicles of the i3. It marks the start of the new sedan’s final preparation phase. This is also an important chapter in BMW’s history as it will be the first time the automaker have made an i3 completely at their plant, bringing their plant in Munich into the limelight. 

The plant is BMW’s state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and digitally connected processes that are being tested for real-world scenarios with the production of the pre-series i3 saloon. That includes the carmaker’s modernised press shop, new body shop, new paint shop, assembly area and more. Peter Weber, the head of BMW’s Munich factory, underlined the milestone of having produced a BMW at this factory. 

The pre-series production of the i3 at the Munich factory is significant because this marks the first of the BMW vehicles to have passed through all production steps on-site, making for a streamlined and future-ready process. 

What to expect from i3?

BMW i3 will be built on their new Neue Klasse platform

Built on BMW’s 800-volt Neue Klasse platform for new-age EV. The platform has quite a few highlights, including room for up to four next-gen electric motors and new NMW batteries with BMW’s Gen6 cylindrical cells, with enhanced density. 

We have already witnessed that the iX3 is a part of BMW’s big Neue Klasse operation, and there is little information given about the powertrain or anything else. It is the same size as the 3-Series, but the iX3’s hardware could give a hint. The iX3 comes with a super-fast single central processor which will control the motors, regen braking, stability systems and steering. The BMW iX3 comes with a claimed range of 805 km on a full charge. So it does leave a lot in terms of expectation from the new i3.