During a press introduction of the plug-in hybrid X1, BMW’s Pieter Nota let us know what else is coming in the electric field. Many rumors already circulated in the corridors, now many are confirmed.
The biggest news lies in the arrival of four all-electric models. As spy images already revealed, there will be a brand new i3. In contrast to the first striking EV, it is now confirmed that this is ‘just’ an electric version of the current 3-series. Compare it with the regular X3, which has also recently been presented as a fully electric iX3. Pieter Nota announces that the new i3 will, in contrast to the i4 and iNext, not be built in Germany, but in China.
Furthermore, the Customer, Brand and Sales manager of BMW hints that there is also a fully electric version of the 5-series in the barrel: the i5. This is based on the brand new 5 series, so we have to wait for that. As with, for example, the X3, it comes in addition to the regular petrol, diesel and plug-in versions. The goal is to have a wide range of choices for the customer. A little further on the agenda are two more electric BMWs: the next X1 and 7 series will eventually also have full-fledged i-versions. That future i7 will have to compete with cars such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the new electric Jaguar XJ.
Also in the field of hybrids, Nota says a few things. As he previously indicated in an interview, he now again says that BMW aims to have its plug-ins soon have an electric range of 100 kilometers. We do not have to count on diesel plug-in hybrids, because that technology is not interesting enough according to the CEO. The same applies to regular plug-free hybrids, because BMW does not believe in this (anymore).