It’s not very often that we learn of an automaker’s plans for facelifts and discontinuations very long before they actually happen. Generally, we learn through the usual channels of prototype testing or leaked images, but this time around, Bimmerpost has managed to get its hands on BMW’s NA production schedule for the 2017 model year. In general terms, the production schedule tells us when each model started production and when it will end production, but if you know what you’re looking at, you can come to some pretty interesting conclusions based on just a little bit of information.

Of all the things we know, the most interesting this that we can determine is that the 2017 BMW M2 will end production in February of 2017, which is likely happening so that BMW can Facelift the M3 and update it to design language found on the 4 Series and M4. The BMW 5 Series GT is also ending production in February, which isn’t all that surprising considering it is likely being replaced by the 6 Series GT. On top of this, the 2017 BMW X3 will actually be in production for a total of 17 months, which is a long time in today’s market, but should lead to the new-gen model for the 2018 model year.

On the lower end of the lineup, there are two other things to discuss. First up, is the 2017 2 Series and M2. According to the schedule posted on BimmerPost, all variants of the 2 Series will end production in June of 2017. Because of this, we can accurately predict that the 2018 model year will bring about a facelift, and will likely be in production starting July 2017. Finally, the BMW i3 is up for some changes as well, but not in the capacity you might think. The i3s sporting the larger battery will soldier on with a full 16 months of production, but the i3 with the 60ah battery will end production early in March of 2017, and according to BimmerPost will be going out of production forever, leaving just the models with larger batteries available going forward.

Why it Matters

Needless to say, BMW has a busy year ahead of it, with several models being facelifted in mid-2018 for the 2018 model year. It seems that Bimmer has finally realized that all-electric models with small battery packs are just a bad idea with the typical range anxiety that comes with them, so it’s no surprise that the low-range i3 is finally coming to its end of life. But, more importantly, if you’re planning on buying any model of the 2 Series or 3 Series, including the M2 and M3, your best bet is to wait until later in 2018, as you’ll be able to get your hands on the facelifted models with the updated headlights and other little niceties that come along with your typical BMW facelift.

Read our full review on the BMW M2 here.