BMW to drop ‘i’ suffix from its petrol cars, SUVs

The ‘i’ will only be used for BMW’s EVs, as in the i4 and i7.

Published On May 16, 2024 09:00:00 AM

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The 'i' suffix will be removed from future petrol BMWs.

Rumours of BMW changing its nomenclature for its petrol models have been confirmed. The senior vice president of BMW’s BMW brand and product management, Bernd Korber, has revealed this detail when asked why the “i” is being deleted. Speculation regarding the suffix being removed for BMW’s petrol models came around the time the German brand revealed the first details of its next-gen X3 (codename: G45). The SUV is going to come with a M50-badged high-performance model, which will replace the current X3 M40i in the line-up.

Names of new-gen and facelifted BMW petrols to end with ‘0’
Diesel and hybrids expected to continue with ‘d’ and ‘e’ suffixes
Nothing in the plan yet that justifies having an M100 M Performance EV

Speaking to press, Korber said that their interpretation of ‘i’ has been about innovation. Which is why the brand would like to keep the letter for its all-electric portfolio, such as in the BMW i4 or i7; both these are on sale in India. Other models that will soon see the ‘i’ suffix dropped, at least in international markets, are the all-new 1 Series hatchback and 2 Series Gran Coupe. Even facelifts will receive the new nomenclature, such as the 7 Series, which is expected to be revealed in 2026.

While the all-new X3 is expected to arrive in India in the future – the facelift for the third-gen SUV has been on sale since 2022 – with the new badges and naming system, it is unclear if the soon-to-arrive 5 Series LWB will have this change. The i5 has already been launched in India, at Rs 1.20 crore, in top-spec i5 M60 xDrive form.

Speaking of BMW’s all-electric high-performance portfolio, including the i7 M70 xDrive that’s on sale for Rs 2.5 crore, Kober said that there are unlikely to be higher numbers than 100 for these M-spec EVs. When asked if we’ll see M80, M90, or even M100, he responded saying that so far, there’s nothing in the plan that gets BMW close to that.

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