When BMW first announced it was reimagining the i3 as an all-electric four-door sedan built on its Neue Klasse platform, it left out a lot of important details, like battery capacity, range, and price. Today, the German automaker is finally starting to fill in the blanks on the i3.
Let’s start with price. BMW says the 2027 i3 50 xDrive will start at $61,500, plus a $1,350 destination fee, putting it firmly in the Mercedes C-Class segment of competition. (Back in March, we could only guess a ballpark starting price around $60,000.) We also weren’t certain when the new EV would be available in the US; today, BMW confirmed an official launch in the first quarter of 2027.
BMW also revealed new details about the i3’s motors. There are two of them — an electrically excited synchronous motor (EESM) in the rear axle that produces 322 horsepower and 321 lb-ft of torque; and an asynchronous motor in the front axle, putting out 165 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque — for a total output of 463 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque.
The EESM, which serves as the primary drive axle, uses electricity instead of permanent magnets to power both its stator outer frame and rotor inner spinning part. An inverter acts as the brain of the system, converting direct current from the battery into alternating current for the motor, regulating the electromagnets, and monitoring performance to keep the motor running as efficiently as possible.
The range figures quoted in the press release are pretty impressive.
