BMW is trying to restructure the designation of its models in order to avoid confusion between their “hydrocarbon” and electric versions, which will still have quite a while coexist for a long time.
The letter “i”, meaning injection, appeared in the designation of BMW gasoline models in the 1970s in connection with the introduction of fuel injection, first mechanical, then electronic – thus it was possible distinguish the injection version of the engine from the carburetor version. By the 1990s, carburetor engines disappeared from the BMW production range, but the letter “i” as a distinctive feature of gasoline injection engines survived and has survived to this day.
In the past decade, the letter “i” took on a new meaning at BMW: it was assigned to the advanced electrified models – the BMW i3 hatchback and the BMW i8 sports car. Let us remind you that the BMW i3 hatchback was offered with both hybrid and all-electric power plants, the BMW i8 sports car was only hybrid. Both of these models have already been discontinued, and today the letter “i” in front of the digital index is assigned to BMW electric models. The modern BMW i3 is an electric version of the extended 3 Series sedan for the Chinese market, the full name of this model is quite cumbersome – BMW i3 eDrive35L.
BMW's hybrid models are today marked with the letter “e”: for example, the BMW 330e with rear-wheel drive and the BMW 330e xDrive with all-wheel drive. Diesel versions are still marked with the letter “d”: for example, the BMW 318d with rear-wheel drive or the M340d xDrive with all-wheel drive, the capital “M” in the latter case indicating that the model belongs to the sports line from BMW M GmbH.
< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/356cbd169b3b77530d4e30de7b6455b5.jpg" />A variety of nameplates indicating modifications using the example of a modern BMW 3 Series 1/5 
A variety of nameplates indicating modifications using the example of a modern BMW 3 Series 2/5 
Variety of modification nameplates using the example of the modern BMW 3 Series 3/5 
A variety of nameplates indicating modifications using the example of a modern BMW 3 Series 4/5 
A variety of nameplates indicating modifications using the example of a modern BMW 3 Series 5/5
The other day, the online resource BMWblog, citing BMW Senior Vice President Bernd Körber, reported that already this year BMW will begin to gradually remove the letter “i” from the designation of gasoline models and will leave it only for electric vehicles. Thus, the new BMW X3, which will premiere in the near future, will enter the market without the letter “i” for gasoline versions, and electric ones will be designated by the letter “i” in combination with a three-digit digital index – for example, BMW iX330.
According to the German magazine auto motor und sport, last year BMW patented a whole bunch of new indices for its future models, namely i120, i130, i140, i320, i330, i340, M350, i420, i430, i450, i530, i550 , i740, i750, i760, iX120, iX130, iX220, iX230, iX240, iX330, iX340, iX350, X420, ix430, iX440, X540, X550, X560, iX540, iX550, iX560, X65, 0, iX640, iX650, iX660 , X740, X750, X760, iX740, iX750, iX760. The three-digit digital index in all cases does not have a technical background, such as indicating the power of electric motors or the working volume of the internal combustion engine, but only indicates the place of a particular version in the model hierarchy – the higher the number, the cooler and more powerful the model. Sports cars will retain shortened digital indices: for example, the BMW X3 M50.
As a result of the indices reform, the designation of BMW models should become more concise and uniform, while it is not yet clear whether the existing designation of diesel and hybrid versions with letters will remain “d” and “e”, respectively, and whether hybrids will get rid of the bulky “electrified by i” nameplates.
We would like to add that Mercedes-Benz also wants to designate its “electric trains” in a new way, but has not yet decided how exactly: the long-awaited electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class was presented last week with the bulky G 580 with EQ Technology.
Recent Comments