BMW is planning to unveil a new version of its i3 electric car in 2017, which offers both practical and cosmetic improvements.

German luxury carmaker will start reworking the front and rear designs of the i3 and furnish the car with a new battery to increase its range significantly beyond the current 180 miles or roughly 300km, according to Reuters. In comparison, the 2016 i3 model manages to reach the 180-mile range because of the combined efforts of a 94 Ah battery and a gas-powered Range Extender engine.

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As for the new design of the electric car, BMW will offer significant changes that give premium take on hybrid and electric. BMW’s i3 sports a compact hatchback body with a rather ‘eco’ style, and the new design would bring much-needed extra space to put handles on the back doors of the car.

In addition, the 2017 BMW i3 could offer enhanced autonomous features, upgrading the already impressive self-parking function on the latest models.

BMW's Head of Research & Development Klaus Frohlich said that the automaker's plan is to establish a common standard for autonomous vehicles across the auto industry so that it could use the same systems and number of sensors. Earlier this year, the company has already teamed up with Intel and Mobileye to develop an open platform for autonomous vehicles by 2021.

The German automaker has only sold 25,000 units of i3 in 2015, Slash Gear reported. The 2017 model should do the trick, attracting more consumers in the face of a rapidly growing electric car market and increasing competition with other carmaker such as Tesla. 

TagsBMW, Self-Driving Car, i3, BMW i3, Electric Car, BMW redesign i3