Munich’s equivalent of NZ’s favourite Tesla has no Kiwi potential.

EVER pondered how much more accepted the BMW i3 might have been had it not been produced as a little, city-centric hatch but instead came out in the same format as the Tesla Model 3 sedan?

Perhaps Munich has also given this very matter some consideration, given that the i3 has just been reborn … as an all-electric version of the 3-Series booted four-door.

So, how long before we see one battery-committed Three take on the other?

Any time soon. But not here. Only in China.

Given how popular the entry Tesla is nationally that might seem a missed opportunity. The sedan market having reduced to a niche thanks to market abdication to SUVs is a clear trend taking plenty of victims, save one: Elon Musk’s China-sourced staple.

The Model 3 has become our single best-selling electric car for the past 14 months, with just under 1000 units shifted in March alone.

With that in mind, there would almost certainly be Kiwi interest in a rear-drive all-electric Three Series packing 212kW, 400Nm and a 526km range, plus ability to pick up 100kms’ replenishment from just 10 minutes of DC recharging.

But not only is no right-hand drive programme planned, but brand belief the i3 eDrive35L is “tailor-made for China” means it will only avail there.

The car will solely be built in Shengyang, China, as part of BMW's long-standing cooperation agreement with China Brilliance Automotive. The partners say they’ve made a number of component and dynamic tweaks to the car to suit the Chinese market.

The L designation in the name means that it's actually a long-wheelbase model, with 110mm more space between the axles than the standard 3 Series.

That's because Chinese car buyers value having lots of rear legroom, a legacy of a time when most car owners in China still employed chauffeurs.

While the electric Three is out, some of the tech it shares can be experienced here. The car essentially uses the same 210kW electric motor as the iX3 SUV that has recently arrived.

Meantime, production of the i3 hatch is to end in July, after a run of nine years and with 250,000 produced. The manufacturing facility in Leipzig, Germany, will thereafter focus on production of the upcoming third-generation Mini Countryman. The i3 hatch is expected to be indirectly replaced in global markets by the BMW iX1, an electric version of the third-generation BMW X1 that is on the same FAAR platform as the new Mini.