Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
BMW’s i3 is preparing to receive a facelift, and that version will continue to be available with a small gasoline engine that will act as a generator.
The German brand calls this configuration REx, short for Range Extender, and it is nothing unusual these days in the automotive industry.
While the term is not present on the example you can study in the photo gallery, someone felt the need to put a sign that wrote: “Hybrid Test Vehicle” on this example.
Even though the REx version of the i3 does have an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, it cannot be considered a hybrid per se. The reason behind that affirmation is that its ICE unit does not power the wheels of this automobile, while the electric motor does all the work on that aspect.
BMW’s engineers did their best to cover up the i3, and their new vinyl design looks better than what the German company used to employ for its prototypes.
In this case, we are talking about a white-on-black pattern that seems to mimic scribbles made by children. It looks incredibly good when compared to the attempted optical illusion on wheels that BMW and MINI used to put on its prototypes.
As you can see, the front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, and the fenders are covered by the camo. It is safe to assume that the blue-and-white roundel will modify those components for the facelift of the i3. The headlights are also covered up to a certain extent, so expect changes there as well.
We believe that the company does not need to do an extensive redesign of the i3, and its facelift will not change much for this model, as it does not look like anything else on the road these days.
That was an intentional decision by those behind its design, and BMW is expected to keep using this language for its Project i models, which will have a different design when put next to their siblings from the regular lineup.
While the term is not present on the example you can study in the photo gallery, someone felt the need to put a sign that wrote: “Hybrid Test Vehicle” on this example.
Even though the REx version of the i3 does have an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, it cannot be considered a hybrid per se. The reason behind that affirmation is that its ICE unit does not power the wheels of this automobile, while the electric motor does all the work on that aspect.
BMW’s engineers did their best to cover up the i3, and their new vinyl design looks better than what the German company used to employ for its prototypes.
In this case, we are talking about a white-on-black pattern that seems to mimic scribbles made by children. It looks incredibly good when compared to the attempted optical illusion on wheels that BMW and MINI used to put on its prototypes.
As you can see, the front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, and the fenders are covered by the camo. It is safe to assume that the blue-and-white roundel will modify those components for the facelift of the i3. The headlights are also covered up to a certain extent, so expect changes there as well.
We believe that the company does not need to do an extensive redesign of the i3, and its facelift will not change much for this model, as it does not look like anything else on the road these days.
That was an intentional decision by those behind its design, and BMW is expected to keep using this language for its Project i models, which will have a different design when put next to their siblings from the regular lineup.
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