BMW i3 Touring Heads to Munich in 2027, Possibly Without Its Rear Window

BMW i3 Touring is heading to Munich, and Europe gets it first. Production starts in July 2027, roughly a year after the i3 sedan begins rolling down the same line. Prototypes have been testing in public since July, camouflaged only at the nose and tail. Still, the big questions sit behind the B-pillar.

BMW i3 Touring Builds Out of Munich

Expect the sedan’s Neue Klasse face, kidney grille and slim taillights to carry over untouched. Where it changes is the roofline, which slopes toward the taillights instead of ending square. Our sources say outputs match the sedan, with the i3 50 xDrive leading the range. Both versions charge from 10 to 80 percent in about 21 minutes, a strong result from BMW.

Inside, the sedan’s cabin should stay intact, with a 17.9-inch touchscreen and no rotary controller. Electric siblings like the BMW i5 Touring already show that wagons can work within this architecture.

Rear Window Survival Is a Coin Toss

Every 3 Series Touring since the E46 in 1999 has let you open the rear glass without lifting the tailgate. None of the BMW i3 Touring prototypes shows the handle below the wiper. The G61 5 Series Touring already dropped the feature, which BMW blamed on aerodynamics.

Asked by Auto Express about it, Neue Klasse boss Mike Reichelt simply said, “We will see.” Going by the prototypes, we are skeptical. Still, the feature survived a close call on the G21, when BMW had to argue to keep it.

Range Costs and the Cargo Question

Extra weight and a longer roof should shave range below the sedan’s 912 km WLTP rating. BMW has not published Touring figures yet. Carg

Written By

Julian Hayes

Future Mobility & Technology Editor at Auto News Magazine. Covering the next frontier of electric powertrains, 800V architectures, solid-state battery chemistry, and autonomous vehicle platforms.

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