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BMW hits one out of the park with the last ever BMW i3 - The HomeRun Edition
BMW HITS ONE OUT OF THE PARK WITH THE LAST EVER BMW I3 - THE HOMERUN EDITION
If you hop online anywhere, be it social media, chart forums, WhatsApp groups and the like, it won’t take you long to find people who are still against electric vehicles and will argue that they’re just a fad and will never replace the combustion engine. Refusing to embrace the future and new technologies will only see you fall behind in, well, everything. It’s hard to believe that electric cars have been around for so long now that one of the most popular ones has just reached the end of its production run. Yeah, in a last hurrah to the now iconic BMW i3 EV, the German automaker has created a HomeRun Edition to make the last of the 250 000 unit-strong, eight and a half-year production run something a little more special. It’s a fitting end to the world’s most successful electric vehicle in the premium compact segment.
The success was helped by the fact that the BMW i3 was sold in over 74 countries (that’s what the press release says, but does that mean 75, or 76, and why not just say the exact number?) around the world. The car became so popular when it was first on the market, that over 80 per cent of all BMW i3 buyers were new customers for the BMW Group. It became an example of what an EV could be like - great build quality, great tech and a pretty cool and interesting overall package. "The BMW i3 is a true pioneer and the epitome of pioneering spirit," says Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management for Production at BMW AG. "Thanks to the BMW i3, the Leipzig plant became the birthplace of e-mobility at BMW. With the expansion of the production of e-drive components, the Leipzig plant will remain "electric" in the future. It will become the hub for electric mobility and supply our production network worldwide with components." says Nedeljković.
The BMW i3 has received numerous awards during its production period. In Germany, it was awarded the "Green Steering Wheel” already in 2013, followed three years later by the "Golden Steering Wheel", also awarded by "Auto Bild" and "Bild am Sonntag". The design, vehicle concept, interior, sustainability, value retention and connectivity technology of the BMW i3 received further national and international awards and public survey successes. These include class victories in the competitions of the magazines "Auto Zeitung" and "auto, motor und sport", awards as "UK Car of the Year", "Green Car of the Year", "Classic of the Future" and "Swiss Car of the Year" as well as the "World Car Design Award", the "iF gold product design award" and the French "Trophée de l'argus".
This last of the last special edition models to be seen in the i3 shape, the BMW i3s HomeRun Edition, has been limited to as very, very small 10-unit production run, which will no doubt make this iconic little electric car become quite sought after by collectors. Assuming someone has started to collect EVs, that is. To make the last 10 units stand out, they feature a Frozen paint finish from BMW Individual - Frozen is fancy BMW speak for matte, and there’s two shades: Frozen Dark Grey and Frozen Red II. The latter is way, way cool. Other bespoke tweaks include new 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels, an electrically operated glass roof, solar control glazing and Adaptive LED headlights. Inside there’s more awesomeness, a high-quality Suite interior design with Vernasca Dark Truffle leather upholstery, a leather instrument panel, a leather steering wheel with galvanised trim, a Carum Grey roof lining, Ambient lighting and the welcome light. Other options include heated seats, comfort access, alarm system, Real Time Traffic Information, Concierge Service, Park Distance Control and rear view camera. Also included are the Comfort package and Driving Assistant Plus, the Professional navigation system, telephony with wireless charging, the Harman Kardon hi-fi speaker system and online entertainment with music flat rate.