BMW Says the i3 Is an Electric 3 Series. It’s Not

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By: Sergiu Tudose

The more BMW talks about the upcoming i3, the more I find myself having the same knee-jerk reaction. This is not a 3 Series. It’s not even an electric 3 Series. So, let’s stop calling it that, because it’s bordering on misinformation.

BMW seems determined to convince the world that the new i3 is more or less the electric version of the 3 Series. There’s been a lot of confusion about this for months – if not years. And on paper, I understand where they're coming from.

The 3 Series is one of the biggest names in the industry, with decades of goodwill among sedan and wagon buyers. So, if you’re looking to introduce an all-new, all-electric sedan, making a “3 Series connection” seems smart, from a marketing standpoint. But this needs to stop.

Listen to Neue Klasse boss Mike Reichelt talking about the BMW i3, mind you: “The BMW 3 Series has been an icon of our brand for seven generations and therefore more than five decades. It encapsulates pure driving pleasure, innovation and timeless design.”

“With the Neue Klasse and its technology clusters, we are literally skipping a vehicle generation. This is the DNA of our sporting saloon in a completely new vehicle concept as we write the next chapter in the BMW 3 Series success story.”

Can anyone here tell me what he’s on about? Yes, both the i3 and the upcoming all-new 3 Series will feature Neue Klasse styling. It’s the same design language. However, these are not the same vehicles. One isn’t simply the electric version of the other, like with the 5 Series and the i5.

Here’s another ridiculous quote, straight from the original i3 press release: “The new BMW i3 is immediately recognizable as a BMW 3 Series.”

No, it's not! It's not even immediately recognizable as a BMW, if we're being honest.

They go on about how the i3 will take the 3 Series nameplate even further because of how sporty it is to drive. I remember having several talks with people in this industry who kept insisting this must mean they’re the same car, how they're now a part of the same "story".

It’s all nonsense. And I love BMW as much as the next guy, but in no way, shape or form is the next-gen 3 Series the same vehicle as the all-new i3. Nor will the two converge any time soon.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Cristian Agatie

The electric pickup truck looked like a marvelous idea when it was first considered. Take one of the best-selling vehicle form factors in America and make it electric, and it would surely be a hit. Rivian was the first to market with the R1T, and it gained wide recognition for building a very compelling electric pickup. However, it didn't sell very much, mostly due to external factors that crippled Rivian's production line and supply chains. 

Soon after, legacy carmakers filled the scene with their own interpretations of an electric pickup. GM launched the GMC Hummer EV, and a tad later, the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Ford took the theme literally and just replaced the F-150's engine and transmission with a battery and electric motors and called it Lightning. Neither sold in meaningful numbers, and the F-150 Lightning program was scrapped. 

All hopes turned to Tesla's Cybertruck, which arrived late as usual, at the end of 2023. You know how this turned out, with disappointing range and outrageous prices. All the hype was not enough to make the Cybertruck a success story, and by 2025, it was clear that pretty much nobody wanted to buy one. Scratch that, somebody still wanted: Elon Musk bought over 1,000 trucks for its own companies. 

There's little a carmaker could do about the cultural factor, and improving range is not trivial unless going the EREV route. However, playing with the price is a fair game. When Slate Auto emerged from stealth with the Slate Truck, it promised a base price starting below $20,000, albeit with a severely limited configuration. That included the federal tax credit, which has disappeared in the meantime. 

Ford picked up from Slate and announced a slightly more expensive model that would not compromise comfort or usefulness. The yet-to-be-named mid-size pickup truck would sell for about $30,000, with a launch announced by early 2027. If Ford delivers, Slate might hit a wall sooner than you could say "Jeff Bezos." 

In the meantime, both have in Ford Maverick a formidable competitor. The Ford Maverick starts at $27,145 with all the creature comforts and a proven track record as both a recreational vehicle and a workhorse for light duties. It has a 4.5-ft bed and a 2,000-lb tow rating, which can be doubled with the 4K Tow Package. This is enough for occasional chores around the house.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Aurel Niculescu

Stellantis made Jeep one of its core, dominant brands for the global markets - but they're definitely not forgetting about their home territories either – and it was about time the specialty automaker returned to its former glory.

We’ve seen the new strategic plan by Stellantis that calls for $70 billion in investments and the introduction of no less than 110 all-new or fresh vehicles by the end of 2030. But I say that it’s all small talk from the corner office head honchos if there are no actual introductions. Well, there’s no way that we could yell ‘liar’ at Stellantis as far as Jeep and Ram are concerned, for instance.

The latter has already reintroduced the Rumble Bee nameplate to the lineup, turned it into a veritable new series for the 2027 Ram 1500, and is gunning for a special place in automotive heaven with the SRT Rumble Bee and its desire to nail a world record for the fastest truck in existence. As for Jeep, they’re showering the market with fresh things almost on a daily basis.

Let’s take the month of June, for example, and not even the full month, but only around half of it. Just in time for International Children’s Day, the company revealed the next phase of ‘The Original Superheroes’ summer campaign, with the marketing effort being a nod to the brand’s WWII origins alongside Captain America.

The focus was on the Jeep Wrangler A250 edition getting dropped from a military cargo plane in a nod to the Willys MB deployments in active duty on the battlefields of World War II. It also reminded us that Stellantis is eager to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary alongside Jeep, of course. That’s a targeted effort, and it’s not the only one, for sure.

Then, on June 11, Jeep dropped another ‘bomb,’ pun intended: Stellantis has decided that, if the US team finishes as the winner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, no less than 100 Americans legally named George Washington will have a chance to drive home in a brand new, free Jeep Wrangler!

They didn’t stop there, and on June 12, Jeep continued the Twelve 4 Twelve special edition campaign with another thematic release: the 2027 Jeep Wrangler Sarge and Gladiator Sarge, reporting for duty as “unmistakable tributes to the brand’s military heritage, reimagined for today’s drivers.” Cool, right?

But it’s not just the Wrangler and Gladiator getting all the attention, although they’re natural targets because of their inherent connection with the Jeep legacy from the past. Instead, on June 15, Jeep announced the 2027 model year novelties for the iconic Grand Cherokee and marked the return of the capable Trailhawk trim line, along with the “original do-it-all off-road SUV package,” the Grand Cherokee Overland.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Sergiu Tudoses

What is peak BMW? It can’t be a popularity contest, because there are certainly faster models than the E39 M5, and more beautiful designs than the E46 M3. You can also find plenty of rarer paint colors than Carbon Black Metallic. Yet somehow, more than a quarter century after its debut, Carbon Black remains one of the most beloved colors the Bavarian carmaker has ever produced.

The funny thing is that it’s not even black. At least not all the time, or even most of the time. And that’s the genesis of the experience.

You see a Carbon Black BMW parked under cloudy skies, and you might think nothing of it - “there’s a nice black BMW”, you might say. Then the sun comes out and suddenly the entire car changes, based on the intensity and the angle of the light source.

The hood might turn dark blue, while the fenders and door panels take on a deep indigo hue. The entire bodywork starts reflecting shades that simply weren’t there a moment ago. Was the car even black to begin with? The answer to that question is no. It wasn’t.

Early beginnings

Carbon Black Metallic, also known as Carbonschwarz Metallic in German (paint code 416), made its debut on the E39 M5 in the late 1990s. Somebody in Munich decided that simply painting what would later become the quintessential M5 using a regular shade of black just wasn’t good enough. And again, this isn’t black.

Even those who understand its multi-color characteristics seem to think that it’s black until it isn’t, when in reality it’s the other way around. It’s navy, or indigo, or both, until it isn’t. And only then is it black.

You know the Marvel Comics character Venom? Of course you do. Well, picture Venom. The same way you’ve seen him on TV or in the comics. Whatever color he is, that’s Carbon Black – and that’s my way of explaining it using pop culture references. Or Batman’s cape from Batman: The Animated Series. That works too.

Anyway, this is an extremely versatile color, and it works on just about any type of BMW, although, it’s not available on every single model. For instance, you can’t get it on a regular 3 Series nowadays, whereas previously, you could. It looked great on the E46. But today, BMW wants to push buyers towards more vibrant shades of blue, such as Portimao Blue or Tanzanite Blue.

For the full article, please continue reading on our site.

By: Mircea Panait

BMW has been a little busy this past week, testing its limited-run Speedtop at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in what can only be described as near-production guise. An ultra-exclusive shooting brake with styling traits rooted in a namesake concept from 2025, the Speedtop intended for 70 lucky customers doesn't look particularly different from the concept.

The dramatic aesthetic includes a shark nose-style front end, an illuminated kidney grille, door handle appendages, and the central spline that flows over the hood, roof, and spoiler. Pictured on specific 14-spoke wheels, the barely camouflaged prototype also rocks the concept's bi-tone paint scheme.

Derived from the 8 Series, the Speedtop is equipped with large oval housings for its exhaust system. These housings further shroud two smaller conventional pipes inside, resulting in a quad-exit design. Under the hood, chances are that BMW made a case for the 617-horsepower V8 turbo engine that you also get in the 2026 model year M8 Competition Gran Coupe.

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Porsche was busy as well, prepping a second refresh for its current-generation Cayenne with internal combustion. Slated to arrive for the 2028 model year, the second facelift builds on the major update introduced for the 2024 model year. The goal here is to keep traditional powertrain options visually and technologically aligned with the all-new Cayenne Electric.

Spied in Turbo E-Hybrid flavor, the next iteration of the luxury performance sport utility vehicle shows an enlarged radiator grille and side air intakes for optimized airflow to meet stricter Euro 7 testing conditions. Enhanced gasoline particulate filters and cats are on the menu as well for managing cold-start emission limits and to meet stricter particulate soot thresholds.

Beyond the minor stylistic and powertrain revisions, the interior should also mirror the design of the Cayenne Electric by adopting the Flow Display architecture. This cockpit setup is centered around a curved horizontal OLED center display that integrates seamlessly with a standard ergonomic wrist rest for the driver and an optional front passenger display.

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Following the unveiling of the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse, which accurately previews the iM3 electric performance sedan, independent digital artists have begun visualizing the M3's electric brother. Sugar Chow, Nikita Chuicko, and the gent behind the Uygar Spots handle went one step further by giving it more practicality, delivering speculative renderings of the yet-unconfirmed iM3 Touring.

The pixel-only bruisers in question retain the core stylistic elements of the concept while also giving the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse a longroof twist. Chuicko's version implements a realistic extended cargo bay, paired with oversized alloy wheels and satin green paint for good measure. Uygar placed his digital creation into a more dynamic environment, rendering the grocery-getter in blue and yellow.

Sugar Chow imagined the iM3 Touring at the limit on what appears to be the Goodwood Festival of Speed's iconic hillclimb, where BMW is likely to showcase its first-ever M3 with electric propulsion. Although we don't know if the automaker can make a case for a wagon-bodied version, BMW said that its forthcoming iM3 Sedan will be sold alongside a new generation of the internal combustion M3 Sedan.

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Another speculative rendering that my colleagues and I really liked this week is the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 SS from Jim, who calls himself 'jlord8' on social media. A hypothetical alternative to Ford's F-150 Lobo and the Ram truck brand's Rumble Bee series of performance trucks, the street-oriented 'Rado stands out by means of a significantly lowered ride height. A sportier front bumper and the bulging performance hood also need highlighting, together with lightweight alloys wrapped in sticky rubber.

General Motors last used the Super Sport moniker on a light-duty truck nearly two decades ago. Back then, Chevrolet advertised the Vortec 6000-engined Silverado SS with 345 horsepower and 380 pound-feet (515 Newton-meters) of twist. Initially equipped with full-time AWD, the Chevrolet Silverado SS from that era ultimately birthed a rear-wheel-drive variant.

In light of the competition's Predator- and Hellcat-powered street brawlers, we can easily imagine a performance-oriented Silverado 1500 with a spicier tune of the largest small-block V8 intended for the next-gen model. That engine displaces 6.6 liters, and only time will tell if "the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in its class" is compatible with a supercharger.

By: Bogdan Popa

Steam Next Fest is almost over, but we tried out most driving and racing demos and here are our 10 recommendations to check out and maybe even add to your wishlist. Spoiler alert: you’ll absolutely adore over the hill.

There’s so much happening in the Grand Theft Auto space that it’s becoming a lot more difficult to tell apart the fake news and the real tidbits. Fortunately, Rockstar decided to step in, so this week, we got the GTA 6 cover art and a date. Pre-orders begin next week, so ask your SO and get ready to pay high dollars on what’s likely the biggest game launch of the year.

Meanwhile, the Kia Boys continue to do what they know best: stealing cars for fun. Sell your car and buy another brand. That’s the message shared by a victim of the Kia Boys, as the 2022 challenge continues to wreak havoc across the United States.

The most concerning part is that a Kia Boy managed to steal a patched car. That’s right, a vehicle that got the anti-theft update was still stolen with the infamous hack, so everybody seems to be confused, including the carmakers themselves.

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