BMW has long had the letter “i” at the end of its model names: 325i, 540i, etc. The letter was initially used to differentiate fuel-injected cars from their carbureted counterparts, which had a three-digit name denoting the series and engine. size. But BMW has long since abandoned carburetors and has the electric sub-brand “i”. So, after decades, BMW is getting rid of the “i” at the end of model names.
A BMW executive confirmed the news to BMW Blog. The publication notes that the next-gen X3 will receive an M50 model while the current model is offered as an M40i. Bernd Köber, Senior Vice President of BMW Brand and Product Management at Connected Company, said BMW Blog the automaker now wants the “i” to mean you’re driving an electric car.
In a world where BMW sells a fully electric i5 and a 540i that isn’t, you can see how some customers might be confused. And yes, the lowercase ‘i’ at the end of the model name is heritage, but the electric ‘i’ sub-brand is also now a well-established property. It’s also one of the best naming conventions in electric cars. The name i5 clearly indicates that it is, for example, an electric 5 Series.
We’re not sure when we’ll see the “i” disappear from the rest of BMW’s gasoline lineup. It will be strange to see something like “330” on the back of a 3 Series, as the “i” at the end has become a staple. To this author’s best recollection, the last time we saw a BMW badge like this in the United States was in the mid-1980s with the 325 eta, which used a low-revving, long-stroke version of the company’s M20 straight-six. D
although they were fuel injected, some of these cars were simply badged 325, while others were badged 325e. BMW also added the letter “d” for diesel cars, although we haven’t had one in the US for a while either.
