BMW to strip the letter “i” off ICE cars, put it on EVs only

The Bavarian manufacturer will apparently stop using the letter “i” to denote vehicles with internal combustion engines. According to one of the executives, Berndt Körber, it should result in a more clearly defined naming scheme and avoid confusion.

The report comes from BMWBlog and is not yet confirmed. Up until recently, BMW had been putting the letter “i” on all gasoline-powered cars with injection engines. It was introduced in the 1970s when the injector technology was still fresh and customers needed a way to distinguish these cars from the ones using traditional carburetors.

With the advent of EVs, the company started putting the letter “i” into their names as well, with the meaning of “innovations” this time around. Now, according to Körber as cited by BMWBlog, this letter will become the prerogative of the electric vehicles alone. Once again, it is done to help the customers tell classic ICE cars from their electrified counterparts.

According to the report, the new BMW X3 will be the first SUV to drop the letter. It will allegedly debut in a spec called M50 – essentially a rebadged M40i.