Happy Friday! Welcome to this week’s edition of the Official DoubleClutch.ca News Rundown, where we recap the top automotive headlines from the week that was in one convenient package. Let’s go.
BMW giveth, and BMW taketh away
The arrival of the 2027 BMW i3 spells a new beginning among EVs for the brand. Its arrival also marks the end of the road for the BMW i4.
BMW confirmed via Car and Driver that the i4 will be discontinued after the 2026 model year. It’s a direct result of the i3’s arrival; the two occupy a similar spot in BMW’s lineup, both being four-door EVs with similar dimensions and expected to occupy similar price points.
Introduced in 2022, BMW has kept the i4 fresh over the years. Most recently, the i4 was refreshed for the 2025 model year with revised styling, more potent powertrain options, and newer tech. But being a Neue Klasse car, the 2027 i3 is newer and fresher in pretty much every way, and brings even more potent powertrains and competitive range to the table.
Dimensionally, the i3 is about an inch shorter than the i4, half an inch wider, and about 1.3 inches taller than the i4. Pricing is still under wraps, but simply going by the fact that 3 and 4 are less than 5 and 7, it’s safe to say the i3 will occupy a similar, more entry-level $60,000-to-$90,000 price spread.
Kia taketh away EVs, too
Meanwhile at Kia, it’s a similar story: the automaker bringing in new models like the EV4 and EV5, not to mention updating the EV6 and EV9, means the older stuff has to go. Word on the street is, the Niro EV is next up on the chopping block.
The move is tied to the introduction of a refreshed Niro for the Korean market. It’s all-hybrid now, leaving the “EV_” lineup dedicated to, well, EVs. The move makes sense, and although Kia hasn’t made an announcement specifically for Canada or the rest of North America, the writing is on the wall. Options like the EV4 and EV5 are newer, offer more range and better charging, and cost less than the Niro EV.
And the rest…
It was BMW’s week — in case you missed it, along with the 2027 i3, BMW announced a 2027 M4 M Legacy Edition exclusively for Canada. They’re limited to 40 units, so if you like the idea of Imola Red with gold wheels, act fast.
