At 4.76 metres long and 1.87 metres wide, the i3 is an all-round bigger car than the current petrol 3 Series. However, it shares its conventional saloon proportions, including a long body and short overhangs. As such, the 3 Series will receive a thorough facelift to mirror the bold looks of the i3, with it too embracing the screen-focused dashboard and many of the gadgets and assistance features available in its electrified sister car. But BMW won't stop there. As per tradition, the i3 will have a Touring estate variant at a later date, and it will also spawn an iM3 performance derivative, which is pencilled for a 2028 debut and could have an electric motor per wheel and put out over 1,000bhp. BMW has ditched the traditional driver's instrument cluster and instead has a 'Panoramic iDrive' panel showing vital information spanning across the underside of the windscreen The German marque has abandoned its iDrive controller in favour of a tablet-style touchscreen display and haptic steering wheel controls. The cross-shaped wheel is a first for BMW The i3's cockpit is dominated by a 17.9-inch touchscreen interface that makes up a new 'Panoramic iDrive' display that essentially deletes a conventional driver's instrument cluster. Instead, there's a 43.3-inch digital panel stretching across the top of the dashboard that shows key information typically shown on clocks behind the steering wheel - this includes speed, range, state of charge, remaining distance to a destination as well as ambient temperature and live weather forecast. The angled infotainment screen is entirely controlled by touch, with BMW ditching it's long-running i-Drive spin-wheel controller, which had been a big favourite among the driving community for years for its simple operation and low distraction risk. But technicians at the German outfit have promised logical functionality, with often-used features - like temperature changes and deactivating irritating driver assist alerts - easy to access. Key functions - like the window demisters, volume controls and hazard warning light button - are all clustered in physical buttons by the drive selector. A host of other controls - including activating the voice-operated AI assistant - are arranged on the steering wheel, which is also a new design and for the first time in BMW's history has a cross-like four-spoke shape. Some of these buttons are haptic control, meaning they can be adjusted without touch - a controversial move given Volkswagen has shifted away from such features over complaints that the controls are difficult to use with any accuracy. The i3 will be built at BMW’s biggest plant in Munich. While prices are yet to be confirmed for any market, bosses say it should cost around the same price as a hybrid-powered 3 Series, which currently starts from £47,185. Share or comment on this article: BMW i3 is the longest-range electric car on the planet: New £50k saloon can go 559 miles on a full charge e-mail