BMW has confirmed that the next model to arrive from its i Division – the i4 – will be available from 2020 and have an all-electric driving range of up to 435 miles.
The news was announced at BMW’s annual financial results conference by CEO Harald Krüger. Based on the iVision Dynamics concept, the i4 four-door coupe will challenge the likes of Tesla’s Model S in the electric car market.
It will sit alongside the iX3 EV SUV, also confirmed at the conference, with the next generation of BMW’s electric powertrains underpinning the i4’s performance and economy figures.
Based on a new platform, the i4 will be pure-electric, but the architecture also allows any fuel type to be built on it – whether that’s petrol and diesel, plug-in hybrid, or EV. This means that even core models such as the 3 Series or 5 Series – both currently available as PHEVs – will be capable of being pure-electric too.
The iX3 will certainly be the first pure-electric core model though, with prototypes currently undergoing development testing. The iX3 will be previewed at the Beijing Motor Show next month, and is expected to have a range of around 300 miles – instantly pitching it against the likes of the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron SUVs.
Krüger said: “The BMW Group will lead the technological change. We will be setting new strategic directions for this in 2018. Soon, we will be opening our campus for autonomous driving outside Munich.
“Over the course of the year, we will present a number of pure-electric concept vehicles that will all go into series production, like: the first all-electric BMW – the iX3. Our new technology flagship, the BMW iNEXT, the captivating BMW i Vision Dynamics, which I just announced in Geneva as the BMW i4.
“The new BMW i8 Roadster and BMW i8 Coupé will be available starting in May of this year. Both models come with fourth-generation BMW eDrive technology. This will boost the electric range of these plug-in hybrids by more than 40 per cent. With the fifth generation of eDrive, our vehicles will be able to drive 550 to 700 kilometres (342 – 435 miles) on electric power, depending on the model. We will achieve this in the BMW i4 and the iNEXT.”
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