2017 BMW i3 will enter production as soon as early July

The improved 2017 BMW i3 with125-mile EPA range will enter production starting this July.

3/30/16 5:00 am chumakdenis 1

The improved 2017 BMW i3 will enter production starting this July.

Changes for 2017 include the addition of some new (undisclosed) colors and slight exterior tweaks.

So, basically, in terms of design, there is just a slight makeover.

However, in the battery department, there is a really significant upgrade -- battery pack consisting of up-to-date Samsung's 94 Ah battery cells resulting in 125 miles(200 kilometers) of fully electric range.

Not bad, huh?

Sources are confirming that the Model Year 2017 i3 will get a range bump from today’s 200 km NEDC rating to 290 km NEDC.

For reference, the 30 kWh Nissan LEAF is rated 250 km on the NEDC test cycle (107 miles EPA).

Doing some simple math reveals that the 2017 i3 BEV should get rated at approximately 120 to 125 miles on the EPA test cycle, which is a vast improvement over the 2016 i3’s rating of 81 miles/(130 kilometers) -- not as good as 200-mile Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3, but it's something.

Price

With production starting in July, first 2017 i3s could be available before the end of summer.

We’re still waiting for pricing and other information on the 2017 i3, but expect i3 to be priced around $20-25 grand --yes, brand-new i3 is bound to cost much less because of the fierce competition coming from GM and Tesla Models.