The BMW i4 will be discontinued next year, with its place in the line-up absorbed by the newly launched i3.

The i4 has been on sale since 2021 and was, alongside the iX, among the first volume EVs launched by the German brand. 

However, its place in the line-up has effectively been made redundant by the launch of the similarity sized and much more technically advanced i3, which was revealed in Munich today. 

Now, sources at BMW have told Autocar that production of the i4 will end next year. It is built at BMW’s main Munich plant, where production of the i3 is due to begin imminently.

Speaking on the sidelines of the i3’s unveiling, BMW Group product boss Jochen Goller said axing the five-year-old i4 to give the electric 3 Series more breathing space in the line-up was always part of the plan.

“When you look back on the last 20 years, you always had new models coming in and old models phasing out,” he said. "So I think this is part of the history of our industry.

"And what you will always see is the volumes of the existing cars, in this case the i4, phasing out, and then [the new car], the i3, clearly ramping up. But as with every model, that was already factored into our planning.”

While Goller confirmed that the current i4 won’t be immediately replaced, Autocar previously reported that BMW is working on a new 4 Series positioned as a more style-focused and dynamic alternative to the 3 Series. 

Development boss Joachim Post told Autocar earlier this year that the 4 Series “is an important car for us” and confirmed that there is a place for it in BMW’s emerging Neue Klasse line-up. "It will play an important role also for the future.”

Goller confirmed today that BMW’s future strategy is to offer each model with a mix of powertrains and the same design regardless of powertrain. As such, the new 4 Series will be sold with the same mix of powertrains as the 3 Series – a new ICE saloon will join the i3 later this year – meaning an electric 4 Series will return.