现行版宝马i3是在2013年底上市的，截至目前销量超过6万辆。i3项目经理Heinrich Schwackhoefer近日在接受媒体采访时表示，宝马将推出第二代i3，但他没有透露新车上市时间。考虑到现行版上市只有三年，因此不愿过多谈论其后继车型也是可以理解的，而新一代i3或许要等到2020年底才会露面。宝马在今年初对i3进行了大幅升级，配备了能量密度更高的电池（从原来的22千瓦时提升到33千瓦时）。新电池使车辆单次充电续航里程提升至183公里，远高于2016款车型的130公里。至于i品牌其他车型，i8插电混动车是在2014年中上市的，该车产量刚过1万辆。宝马证实将于2018年推出其敞篷版，在今年消费电子展上亮相的 i Vision Future Interaction概念车就是该车的概念版车型。此外，宝马还计划对i品牌进行扩展，计划到2021年推出具备自动驾驶能力的更大的旗舰级电动车。

BMW confident the i3 will live to see a second generation
The i3 went on sale towards the end of 2013 and as most of you know sales haven’t been that great, with only a little over 60,000 units delivered to date. As you would imagine, BMW was expecting the i3 to be a better performer, but even so the model’s project manager Heinrich Schwackhoefer says that in no way the current car has been labeled as a failure within the company.

In his interview with Automotive News, Schwackhoefer said he’s very confident as far as a second-generation i3 is concerned, but without going into details regarding the model’s launch. It makes sense not to talk about a successor taking into account the current car has been around for only three years, so a replacement is probably not due until towards the end of the decade.

Earlier this year, the BMW i3 received a significant update bringing a higher-density battery featuring a bump in capacity from 22 kWh to 33 kWh. The battery has enough juice for an EPA-certified 114 miles (183 kilometers) on a single charge for the electric version, thus representing a major boost over the previous 81-mile range of the 2016 model year.

In regards to the other “i”-badged model, the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car was launched in mid-2014 and has been built in over 10,000 examples so far. BMW has reconfirmed the coupe will be joined in 2018 by a roadster version previewed recently by the i Vision Future Interaction concept introduced in January at CES.

Some other changes are being prepared for the “i” lineup, with a bigger flagship electric model with autonomous driving capabilities slated for 2021.