BMW Gives Its New i3 and 3 Series the Same Face but Different Bones

The company is pairing a purpose-built EV platform with a separate combustion chassis to keep a single design identity while shifting toward electric vehicles.

Overview

BMW’s electric i3 (NA0) is now in series production and on public display at BMW Welt with first European customer deliveries planned this fall and U.S. deliveries scheduled for next year.
The i3 is built on the Neue Klasse EV architecture, which creates a flat floor and a 31-liter front trunk and makes the car longer and wider than the outgoing 3 Series.
The combustion 3 Series (G50) uses the CLAR platform and will be produced in Dingolfing with the M350 xDrive as the top internal-combustion variant powered by a revised B58 six-cylinder engine and a planned 2027 over-the-air 'Drift Moment' update.
BMW deliberately gave both cars nearly identical exterior and interior styling so customers see a single family look even though the EV and ICE models have different packaging, weight and mechanical layouts.
Production and market rollout are split by region and architecture with the i3 made in Munich and expanding to Mexico in 2027 plus a China long-wheelbase NA8, which preserves buyer choice as BMW shifts its product mix.