Final tests for the new BMW i3
and the Heart of Joy at the Arctic Circle.

The BMW 3 Series has been setting standards in the premium midsize class for five decades. With its exceptional sportiness, precise handling, effortless agility and long-distance driving comfort, the model series embodied driving pleasure - the BMW 3 Series established itself as an automotive icon. With the eighth model generation comes the first sedan based on the Neue Klasse: the fully electric BMW i3. Equipped with the sixth-generation eDrive (Gen6), the model transfers the typical characteristics of the sporty sedan into a completely new vehicle concept while remaining true to the DNA of the BMW 3 Series. 

Before the new BMW i3 celebrates its design premiere on 18 March 2026, prototypes are undergoing final endurance tests in Sweden. The BMW Group's winter test centre in Arjeplog offers ideal conditions for testing and optimising suspension and drive systems. Here at the Arctic Circle, the BMW i3 is receiving the finishing touches on the home stretch of series development.

No other test drives present people and vehicles with similar challenges as the tests in winter conditions in northern Sweden. For BMW engineers, they have been part of the development programme for every new model for decades. On snow-covered roads and specially prepared ice surfaces, they form the foundation for the distinctive driving pleasure that BMW is known for. In the field of electronic control systems, for example: On smooth surfaces with low coefficients of friction, the development team tests and analyses under precisely reproducible conditions - and thus develops optimal coordination.

As a consequence of comprehensive trials in freezing conditions, the new BMW i3 establishes new benchmarks in driving dynamics on icy roads, featuring light-footed propulsion and smooth yet accurately controlled handling. To achieve this, the essential requirement is a powerful drive and vehicle dynamics control system featuring the Heart of Joy and the BMW Dynamic Performance Control software developed in-house. An extremely responsive combination that pushes the previous limits of electric mobility. The BMW i3 harnesses the unprecedented potential of this drive technology. An impressive figure underlines the technological quantum leap: The Heart of Joy’s responses in the new BMW i3 are ten times faster than previous systems. It is responsible for drive, braking, some steering functions and recuperation.

Only electric motors can process and execute the lightning-fast commands of the Heart of Joy. They thus enable superior driving stability paired with agility and comfort. The new BMW i3's steering stands out for its supreme precision and effortless handling, crucial for ensuring a sense of assurance. The Heart of Joy reduces the number of necessary control interventions from assistance systems, making cornering behaviour even more consistent and reproducible.

The BMW i3 remains effortlessly controllable even when approaching the limits. Thanks to the Heart of Joy's precise control processes, the high driving stability also delivers improved efficiency through maximum energy recuperation, even when cornering. The new BMW i3’s Soft-Stop function sets another milestone: With precise control of the electric motors, it delivers the smoothest stopping process in the BMW 3 Series' history, without any jerks or brake noises. “Sheer driving pleasure” redefined.