BMW sends off final i3 EVs with special gold paint

The final batch of BMW i3 electric hatchback has received a special treatment before discontinuation. The German luxury car brand reports that the last 18 examples of the i3 were lined up at the BMW Welt facility in Munich for a special sendoff ceremony and all of them were painted in a special Galvanic Gold and black finish. The BMW i3 was the automaker's first mass-produced EV, and it was built under the electric vehicle-specific i-division.

The BMW i3 remained in business for eight and a half years with a quarter of a million units sold across 74 different countries before being discontinued, claimed the automaker. The automaker decided to pull the plug on this EV to make way for a new pure electric crossover slated to be positioned below the iX, dubbed as iX1.

The car brand ended production of the i3 in the US last year. It was launched in 2014 and offered an electric range of up to 246 km on a single charge. It sold more than 250,000 units around the world, claimed the automaker. This was also the most successful electrified BMW car to date.

Speaking about the car, BMW said in a statement that at the start of its series production eight and a half years ago, it was considered a visionary and exotic vehicle. "Since then, the compact vehicle with electric drive has established itself as a pioneer for locally emission-free driving pleasure and holistic sustainability," the statement further reads.

While the i3 is discontinued, the nomenclature will continue in China in the form of a 3-Series electric sedan, which will be the first model to be based on the automaker's Neue Klasse platform.