1 best of : Report: BMW Plans Second-Generation i3 Even if Sales Stay Slow

Although BMW has moved just 60,000 i3s since the launch of the compact electric car in late 2013, i3 project manager Heinrich Schwackhoefer insisted that slow sales are not going to keep his employer from launching a second-generation model while speaking with Automotive News.

“I firmly expect that. It’s not the sentiment within the company that it’s been a failure — absolutely not at all,” said Schwackhoefer. “The ‘i’ subbrand is stable and you can count on a successor to the i3, but I cannot say when that will be,” he continued. Some reports put the second-gen car’s launch at 2022, though BMW has yet to decide what it will be made of.

Despite the vague timeline, there’s no reason to believe that the suits in Munich will have a change of heart as the Bavarian automaker’s product plans over the next few years reportedly include an aggressive EV push that includes rivals to the Tesla Model S and upcoming Model 3.

Additionally, BMW improved the extant i3 for 2017 by fitting it with a longer-range battery pack. Going forward, the car is capable of traveling about 120 miles on a single charge, a 50-percent increase. Given that the car likely has at least another five years of life remaining, it’s safe to expect further iterations to keep the car competitive against upcoming 200-mile-plus EVs like the Chevrolet Bolt.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)