New BMW i3 Touring officially teased for the first time

The new all-electric BMW i3 has just been revealed, and during the event BMW gave us our first look at the Touring estate model.

At the unveiling of the i3 saloon, a shadowy silhouette of the i3 Touring was displayed behind BMW Group chief Oliver Zipse, who said: “The 3 Series has been much more than just a sedan. I don’t want to reveal everything today, but there’s one model I’m happy to confirm - the BMW 3 Series Touring.” 

Zipse also added: “Business customers and families will be particularly delighted: the Touring has always been a favourite with them." 

The announcement of the i3 Touring doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, given that BMW M’s CEO, Frank van Meel, did not deny plans for future M3 Touring models gaining all-electric power when he spoke to Auto Express late last year. 

Like its internal-combustion predecessors, we expect the i3 Touring to get the same range of powertrains as the equivalent saloon. For now there’s just one version of the i3 – the high-spec 50 xDrive with two e-motors producing 462bhp and 645Nm of torque – but single-motor versions are expected. 

Range for the i3 saloon in 50 xDrive guise stands at a whopping 559 miles (thanks to a huge 112kWh battery), the most of any car available in the UK. Given the extra weight of the Touring’s body, we suspect the range of the equivalent estate to take a slight hit, although like the saloon, it’s still likely to sit at the top of its class in this area. Charging shouldn’t be any different in the Touring: expect as much as 400kW to add 248 miles of range in 10 minutes.

As for the new car’s design, there’s not much to glean from the teaser image, but we can see it’ll retain the i3’s rear light design (which hasn’t always been the case with older 3 Series Touring models), plus the window line lifts up to the rear for a sporty profile. 

Production of the new BMW i3 will begin in August and while this is our first look at the Touring variant, we expect the estate model to arrive in early 2027. If you don’t want to wait that long for an electric BMW estate, the i5 Touring can be had on the Auto Express Buy A Car service with an average saving of over £16,000. 

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